


Sign Me Yours

by xIreth



Category: Naruto
Genre: Blow Jobs, F/M, Friendship/Love, Genderswap, Hand Jobs, M/M, Matchmaking, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-07-25
Updated: 2011-07-24
Packaged: 2017-10-21 17:59:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 15
Words: 56,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/228026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xIreth/pseuds/xIreth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shikamaru and Neji form a tentative friendship while training. Their feelings grow, but will their relationship?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own any part of the Naruto franchise. All I own is the plot and writing. I am not making any money from this.
> 
> This is a collaborative work with my friend Mali/essenceofthedark.

Shikamaru scowled to himself as he adjusted his position in the trees. He had already done as much research as he could on the other's technique as possible without having to actually watch the other boy. But he still had to gauge his abilities-- he'd only seen so much at the preliminaries, after all.

Asuma-sensei was training him like a dog, but at least this way he didn't have to actually move, just observe. Providing, of course, that the Hyuuga protégée was too focused on his training to notice him spying in the trees boarding the training field.

He watched Neji's moves with a bored disinterest, wondering how long he was going to keep training; he'd been at it for hours now and Shikamaru had grown bored and sleepy a while back, but he knew that his sensei would somehow just know if he stopped watching before he stopped training. And that would mean double training for _him_.

Looking up at the sun between his exercises, Neji noticed he had been at it for a good four hours already and he decided it would be time for a break. He was thirsty from working out beneath the hot Konoha-sun and a small break would only enable him to train longer afterwards. Sighing, he picked up the water-bottle from the ground and took a small gulp from it, before he, without turning towards his watcher, sat down on the ground.

"Have you seen enough?" he called out, having long ago noticed his watcher, but he had been too preoccupied to bother before now. After all, it was just his normal morning exercise, not secret techniques or anything even remotely like that he was training.

"You can come down now," he added after a while with a smirk. He didn't know who it was; his chakra-signature was not familiar to him, or he had at least not bothered to remember it had he met them before. Which would of course mean it wasn't a worthy opponent.

Shikamaru let out a snort, debating within himself whether it was worth it to even move. Since the other had obviously seen him, he could just start napping finally. Of course, sleeping in a tree was never as comfortable as on the grass or in a bed.

"Troublesome," he murmured to himself before swinging one leg to the other side and jumping down into a squat. He ambled over with a yawn, stopping a few feet from the Hyuuga.

"Ah..." Neji's eyes turned uninterested again once he discovered who his watcher was. Nar...a. Nara, he thought was his name, but he was not certain; not that it mattered. Raising an eyebrow elegantly, he remembered that the younger boy had been one of those weak rodents that had asked for his autograph during the second part of the Chuunin exam. It was almost enough to make him snort in amusement; what kind of man wanted another man's autograph anyway? Of course, he did not let his amusement show on his face.

"Water?" he offered silently once the other had sat down not far from him, and he remembered that the other boy had been outside beneath the warm sun just as long as him, although he had not trained during that time, the heat was enough to make anyone thirsty. Not that Neji would ever admit to needing water, he merely enjoyed the luxury of having it available during his training-sessions; he could very well go without it.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow before nodding his thanks, reaching and taking the bottle. He took a short drink from it and handed it back. He hadn't been aware of how thirsty he really was until he drank the cool water, but it wasn't his or a teammate's so held back from draining most of it.

It was an awkward silence now, but he didn't see the point of forcing small talk. He covered his mouth as another yawn broke out and he reclined himself, lying on the grass.

He was glad he didn't need to spy anymore, but he wasn't going to stop watching just yet. And if Neji didn't want him there, he'd have to say so.

Taking his bottle back, Neji frowned at it a little, feeling the urge to wipe off any spit that was left from the other nin, but for the sake of courtesy he just put it down. While he didn't care if he offended some lower, less gifted shinobi, his manners disagreed with him. He would just make sure to wash it thoroughly later.

Pretending not to notice the pressing and awkward silence between them, Neji closed his eyes and folded his legs. He could just as well do his meditation while they were sitting in silence like that. However, after a while he could feel the urge to twitch. Not used to company, he was a little unsettled by the silent presence beside him, but, not wanting to admit that it was bothering him, he forced himself to sit quiet.

Shikamaru glanced over, breaking his gaze from the clouds, and studied him. He was sitting straight, legs folded, which he knew was correct, but he was sure that the forced stiffness wasn't. Even with his loose shirt on, the Nara could see the other boys' muscles tensing and quivering as he tried to calm down.

He could tell he was the cause of this uneasiness, but he also knew that had to be something a ninja had to deal with-- especially one hoping to become a Chuunin.

Rolling his eyes, he sat up and slumped forward, not caring about posture like his companion. He rested his chin in his hand, elbow propped up on a knee and he smirked.

"Meditating only works when you're relaxed, you know."

"I am aware of that," Neji replied rather stiffly, shooting the younger one a glare. How dare he presume that he knew more than him? Unfolding his legs, he sat normally, though still rigidly. It seemed it was useless to even try meditating when this younger boy was nearby. It irked him, but so far only his team, and his family, had seen him meditate, and he just wasn't used to having anyone else there. Had he already started meditating he didn't think it would have been a problem, because he would be too focused. As it was, he was not. He made a mental note to improve just that. Doing some breathing-exercises he knew would calm him, he tried again, and this time he did better. Though the fact that the other had noticed was still annoying him.

Shikamaru's smirk widened as he continued to observe Neji. He wondered why he didn't tell him to leave since he was causing that much turmoil. Maybe it was a pride thing? He'd never understood why pride was such a huge issue, though. Well, expect for against girls, but that was different.

After a moment's thought, he spoke again, "So how much _do_ you train?"

Feeling the other's eyes on him, Neji blinked almost startled as the other spoke up unexpectedly. Mulling a bit over the question, he peeked at the other boy from the corner of his eyes.

"Why do you want to know?" he countered with after a while. The other was probably spying on him train to learn some secret techniques, or... well, just spying to know how to fight against him. After all, he hadn't forgotten the exams weren't over yet. They might have to fight against each other in the final part.

The Nara just shrugged, shifting so he was looking up at the sky again. "You were training for a few hours and, unless you're too tired to even walk home, it doesn't look like you're stopping yet," he said.

He shifted his gaze again, but kept his face tilted upwards. "And if I'm not mistaken, you train every day."

"Hn," Neji just replied confirming what the Nara had said. He had to give him that; he was good at analyzing people, even him. Which annoyed him. Neji was not used to being easily read by anyone, much less a brat younger than him, that was, probably, complete crap ability-wise.

"This is just my morning exercise," he added after a while, not having a clue why he gave away that much to the other, but he felt that it needed to be said. He wouldn't want the other to assume he was lazy like him.

 _So this was just a warm up to the Hyuuga_ , he thought, wondering how he hadn't grown too tired yet. He would have stopped at least an hour ago-- there was no use over-exerting yourself, in his opinion.

"Hm, I guess that explains why you missed the target a few times," he mumbled to himself. He was hoping that had just been the extent of his ability, but that obviously wasn't the case.

Neji stiffened at the last remark, and if he hadn't performed his breathing exercises, closed his eyes angrily, his looks would have killed. He had not missed! At least that was what he told himself, but he knew, deep down, that the other was telling the truth.

"No," he replied stiffly, once he had swallowed his indignation, "it does not.” That it was a warm-up session had nothing to do with it; it was the blind spot of the byakugan, but the other did not need to know that.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, turning to fully face the other. "So then why did you miss?" he asked, genuinely curious and not just fishing for information. He knew Neji was ranked up there with Sasuke and with good reason. He wouldn't just miss an unmoving target so easily.

Neji almost grit his teeth. Had this brat never heard of not letting his curiosity get the better of him? Either that, or he was a damn bad spy, which he had already proved by getting caught. Either way, he was not going to answer that question, just in case it could be used against him. Remaining silent, he dried off the other's spit on his bottle as discreetly as possible before he took another mouthful of water.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes when he didn't get an answer. He was being overly cautious, especially when the Nara hadn't even wanted to be in the Chuunin exams in the first place. It had just been easier than being the target for Ino's wrath.

But he wasn't one to pull teeth for information, so he just dropped it, letting the silence stretch out.

Taking a last mouthful of water, deciding that if he had any more, it would only hinder the rest of his morning exercise, Neji stood up after putting the bottle back into his bag.

"I shall continue my training," he told the other, letting him know it was up to him to stay and watch or leave; he did not care either way. Meditating was one thing, but he could train in front of anyone without a second thought. As long as it was nothing he should not show his enemies, it was nothing different than sparring against a stranger. As long as you did not reveal too much, it was alright, and Neji gave away nothing.

Shikamaru made in a noise in the throat in acknowledgment, eyes trailing after the other as he moved away. He might as well observe as much as he could, even better that he didn't have to be on alert.

Taking a deep breath, Neji got into his gentle-fist style and started training. Smooth, flawless movements that looked like tai-chi in fast motion, he moved, swirled and hit with a natural grace and flow that was not given to many people alive. Losing himself in the familiar movements, he no longer was consciously aware of his watcher.

Shikamaru watched him with a steady and critical eye, gauging his movements and eventually he was able to predict what movement and direction the Hyuuga would use. At times he could tell that Neji was holding back, trying to throw him off.

After close to an hour, he starting letting his gaze and mind drift, eventually lying down again and just cloud-gazing. Nothing new was happening, so why bother waste good lounging time like that?

Just as the dark-haired boy lay down, a kunai, barely a few inches above him, made a loud /thak/ as it embedded itself into the trunk of a tree right beside the Nara. Obviously, Neji had started another part of his training. Other sounds were heard at the same time, indicating that he had thrown several at once and then the older boy stilled, looking up into the air.

He frowned, displeased with himself. Yet another time he had miscalculated, and he silently damned his blind spot.

Shikamaru blinked, a bit startled, after the kunai flew over him. He let out a sigh and lifted up his head a little to look at the other, frowning himself at the other's expression.

He could guess what his problem was; he relied on his kekkei genkai too much, but from what he'd heard from Naruto about Sasuke that wasn't something you just told them, especially even if they weren't your teammate or friend, for that matter.

Taking a deep breath, Neji made the hand-seals and called forth his byakugan, using it to get a good, almost full-view of his surroundings. He would defeat his blind spot even if it was the last thing he did. Sighing, he looked towards the other genin. True, he could wait with that until he could train with Tenten... But she was probably much too busy training herself privately from messing up so horribly against that Suna-nin, and this one, though he should be, was not so busy training.

"You!" Neji looked pointedly at him, making it clear that he was talking to him. The brat was probably nowhere near Tenten's level, but it would do... for the morning exercise. "I have a request."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes upward and heaved a sigh as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. He looked at Neji was a small scowl, wishing he could just relax now.

"What is it?"

"Attack me with weapons from all directions... if you can." He smirked at the younger boy, taking it into account that he had no talent whatsoever with weapons. However, he had to ask as he really needed the practice. And he would like to break his blind spot without any help from his uncle, thankyouverymuch! Of course, Hiashi had offered, but Neji had refused out of pride. However, that meant he had some hard work in front of him; work he could not do alone, as much as he would have liked to.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and muttered a quiet 'troublesome'. He glanced up, studying the trees for a few seconds before forming a box with his fingers. Less than a minute later, he stood up with a sigh and looked at Neji.

"If you have wire in your bag and will help gather up the kunai you threw earlier, I will."

Just nodding, Neji took a second to find all his kunai with his byakugan.

"The wire's in the front pocket," he replied before he went off to find his weapons, gathering them one by one, making sure they weren't damaged. When he had gathered them all, he went back to the younger boy and dropped the weapons to the ground.

"There's more in the bag," he said softly, sitting down to rummage through it and find his other weapons.

Shikamaru nodded and went over to the other's bag, kneeling and taking out the roll of wire. He fished through his own weapon's pouch, taking out his ninja wire. He carefully tied the two ends together. He hoped there would be enough length to circle the clearing.

He gathered up all the weapons without another word and disappeared up into the trees. He made one shadow clone and started setting up the weapons, lining them up sporadically along the wire. Minutes later, he had them in every tree surrounding the clearing, the wire pulled tight as a trigger, himself on one side and his clone on the other.

"Ready?" he called out.

Watching the other disappear, Neji waited patiently in the middle of the clearing while the other set up his trap. While he waited, he did some stretching, knowing the small break had made his body cool down enough to warrant such exercise as not to obtain any physical damage. At the other's call, he snorted softly to himself. How gallant.

"It is not much of a surprise if you announce all your attacks," he called back arrogantly. "Shinobi have no need of such warnings."

Shikamaru smirked. "Just making sure I won't take off an ear of yours or something."

He counted to ten in his head before physically throwing a kunai, making his clone throw two in succession. He did this, building up the amount quickly, taking a few second break before finally pulling the wire and setting the rest of the weapons off towards the Hyuuga. Immediately after, he threw handfuls of senbon and shuriken at the same time as his clone.

His byakugan already activated, Neji noticed at once when the first kunai was thrown. Getting into his familiar stance, he quickly started spinning, turning, twisting his body while his hands darted out; fending kunai away from him along with the other weapons being thrown. Taking familiar steps to keep his balance, he silently admitted to himself that the younger boy did know how to handle his weapons. He wasn't Tenten's level, but he was pretty good. However, he would never say such a thing out loud.

Shikamaru released his kage bushin after all the weapons had been thrown. He observed Neji's moves from up the tree. He'd heard of this technique before, but this was his first time seeing it in action. Heavenly spin.

He jumped down from the tree, landing in a squat and inwardly hoping he wouldn't have to fight against him in the match. The only way to beat him would be to immobilize him, which he could do but he doubted the Hyuuga would let himself fall into his shadow possession jutsu.

Standing still with perfect balance once the last weapon dropped to the ground, Neji smirked, satisfied. True, he had faced worse before when training against Tenten, but still. Not one weapon had nicked his skin while out there, despite his blind spot.

"It wasn't too bad," he acknowledged before he started collecting his weapons. Looking at the sun, he decided that it would be the end of his morning practice. While he normally wouldn't skip practice for anything, today he had to start planning a more complicated training schedule for himself because of the last part of the Chuunin exam that was only days away. There was no time to waste, and if he doubted his regular training, it would cover it all. He was going to be prepared when the time came.

Shikamaru smirked again, letting out a soft snort at the other's comment. While Neji was gathering the weapons, he started re-winding the wire, cutting it when it got to the knot-- no use wasting energy trying to unknot it. He started doing the same to the other side, handing over one of the rolls to the older boy once finished. He gathered up the rest of his weapons, putting them all back away before looking at Neji again.

Once he had packed his bag and was ready to leave for a light lunch, he looked over at the other boy. A second passed before he looked away again, slightly irked that he had to thank someone his inferior for his... assistance. He refused to use the word 'help' even to himself. Neji just didn't need help. Ever. Period.

"Thank you for your assistance," he said stiffly, not mentioning with one word the spying the other had done. After all, it was pretty much harmless, and what did a ninja do if not spy on others? It was all part of the game, as stated at the first Chuunin test. There would be no use in getting upset over such a small detail. In fact, he probably should be flattered that someone wanted to do research on him. Well, would be, if the other had been stronger, and it hadn't been his job.

"I shall see you at the finals," he added before starting to walk away, frowning at himself. Why had he said those words? It had been utterly pointless, and Neji didn't do pointless.

Shikamaru shrugged. "It wasn't too troublesome," he said, though wondered why it wasn't. It had been more work than he was hoping to do all day. But at least he could tell his sensei that he'd trained. And (he inwardly smirked) he could just imagine Ino's jealousy if he told her that he had trained with her second biggest crush in Konoha.

He just lifted a hand in farewell, debating whether he should leave or just slack off for the rest of the day.

Nodding in acknowledge he had heard him, Neji returned to his room in the Hyuuga complex, thoughts already moving onto his training plan the next days.

\--

The day for the exams arrived without further ado, much too fast. Getting up early as usual, the Hyuuga started his morning exercise, stretching and actively readying his body for the day. He also made sure to eat his breakfast; perfectly balanced to give him all the nutrients he needed, but nothing more. He was about to leave for some extra training before the tournament, but hesitated for a second. Remembering the boy from yesterday, Neji smirked and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. Scribbling something down on the paper, he carefully pocketed it and left.

Shikamaru covered his mouth as he let out a huge yawn, trying his best to tune out Ino's yakking. His teammates had found him a few hours later after ‘training’ with the Hyuuga and before he could explain anything they'd started ragging on him.

Now, the next day they had a little time, Ino had demanded that he did the same so she could watch the Hyuuga in action. And it was easier to just not argue against her, so they were making their way towards the same training area.

Neji was at his usual spot, once again trying to crack his blind spot in the few short hours he had, and he smirked with satisfaction as he noticed the area he couldn't see had narrowed the past days. Perhaps he one day would be able to eliminate that spot completely.

However, he twitched soon as he heard several footsteps approaching and he stopped, not even turning to see who it was.

"Bringing the fanclub?" he asked sarcastically, casting a wry look at the female that had arrived with him, and the other boy, whom, he might add, looked... fat. Not showing his distaste of the body-fat, after all, he had heard of a clan that relied on just that, he frowned at the girl's skimpy outfit. Not only did she look like a slut, but he was certain that if he looked any closer, he would find her ribs sticking out from her dieting and starving herself. He knew the type. It would be the type he would stray far away from, and that Tenten would bitch about constantly whenever she was in a bad mood.

Shikamaru let out a sigh, scowling. "I wasn't even planning on coming back. She dragged us here," he said, knowing that if Neji was any less good-looking, he would have gotten slugged by Ino. Couldn’t look bad in front of him, right?

Instead she just glared at him and huffed before turning her attention onto the Hyuuga, putting on a saccharin sweet smile.

The Nara rolled his eyes, making a face at Chouji, who laughed as he crunched on his ever-present chips.

Narrowing his eyes as he eyed the blonde's fake smile, obviously trying to charm him or something, he sighed and gave her a glare.

"Get lost," he just told them. Having the other boy, Nara, spy on him was one thing (or at least attempting to spy on him), having to babysit a group of younger Genin’s another. Besides, he had planned on testing his real skills once more before the exams, to make sure what he had practiced really stuck. He didn't think they hadn't, but he would rather practice one time too many than not.

"I do not have time to waste on you," his words were cold, exactly like he had intended to. Also, if the Nara's words were true, the girl was stopping him too from doing some last training before the exams.

Ino pouted, twirling her bangs with a finger and trying to look coy. He had to fall for her eventually, after all she was the top kunoichi in her year and beautiful to boot.

Shikamaru snorted and just turned around. "I told you he wouldn't want us around," he said to Ino.

"I said get lost," Neji eyed the female distastefully. "You are annoying," he added, picking up a kunai. If she didn't, she might get an uncomfortable surprise. Oh yes, indeed. Neji would send her running faster than you could snap your fingers. Not by force, no, Neji did not do violence like that; it was beneath his dignity, but there were other ways.

Shikamaru sighed and grabbed Ino's arm, starting to drag her off, Chouji trailing along behind and glancing back at Neji worriedly every now and then.

Ino scowled once she wasn't facing the Hyuuga and started complaining under her breath.

"Oh, like you thought you had a chance after in the forest?" the Nara muttered. "Besides, you said you had to work a shift at your family's flower shop before the exam tournament."

Sending the other boy a thankful thought, Neji went about with his training, this time undisturbed by anyone.

\--

A few hours later, he had done showering and drying his hair completely, and went on his way to the exam itself, excited to know who he would get to fight. Neji frowned; there were quite a few weak people that had gotten through to the final round. He really hoped he would not be paired up against any of them. It would be disgraceful for the clan, and he would not enjoy an unfair fight. Making sure the note was still in his pocket, he walked towards the arena. He was certain his uncle and cousins were already there, seated in the best seats there were; aside from the Kage's, that is.

Shikamaru stood in the middle of the arena, wondering yet again why he was still going along with this. He just hoped he wouldn't have to fight against the Hyuuga, Aburame or that creepy Suna-nin. He thought he had a chance against the others, though not much of one...

He glanced around, seeing all three of the Suna-nin's hudled together and Shino standing silently. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, wondering when the other four were going to show up.

Arriving, Neji noticed that most had already turned up even though the time had still not run out for meeting up. Looking around, he noticed that the Uchiha had not arrived yet. Oh well, there was still time for him to show up. While the younger boy was clearly inferior to himself, Neji thought that if he was paired against him, the fight would indeed be interesting.

Looking at the Nara, who looked bored to death, Neji slipped the note carefully into his pocket, secure that no one would as much as notice. Besides, he smirked to himself, the boy had indeed asked for it earlier.

On the note was _To Nara - Hyuuga Neji_ scribbled down.

Shikamaru shifted, quirking an eyebrow at the sound of paper crinkling. He brought out the piece of paper and glanced down at it. He blinked a few times, turning it around but all that was on it was those four words and there couldn't be anything hidden on it, Genin weren't taught things like that.

He looked up, over at the Hyuuga and raising his other eyebrow in question.

Lips twitching slightly in amusement, Neji made a small gesture that meant 'later' to the younger boy. After all, it would certainly be noticeable if they started chatting before the exam. Slipping a piece of paper into the boy's pocket was one thing, talking another. He could only imagine the gossip that would spread between all the ninja of Konoha, not to mention what his uncle would think.

Shikamaru sighed before pocketing the paper. He would just have to ask him later, then. Now they were just waiting for Naruto, Sasuke and that Sound Genin...


	2. Chapter 2

However, they didn't get the chance to talk because of what happened later that day, the attack of the Oto and Suna shinobi and the funeral of the Sandaime as well as several other things made a week pass before any of them would have the opportunity again. Having spent some time alone in his room, contemplating what happened the past days, among other things the truth about his father that his uncle had not told him before now. It was a mystery, and Neji could not stop thinking about it.

It was the same day he found himself walking back towards his regular training spot, as he had not had the time for the past days and he longed for some proper workout that did not include mulling over useless things; things of the past.

Shikamaru was lying down in the clearing, wanting to be away from everyone. With everything that had happened, his home was becoming chaos with how moody his mother was getting. Asuma hadn't called any meetings in a while, not that the Nara blamed him-- it had been his father that died after all. Ino was spending all her time and home and when he was with Chouji all he could about were the times as academy students when they would run into the late-Hokage.

He frowned, trying to push all those thoughts away and just stare up at the sky. Not that it was helping for once...

Neji arrived at the clearing, only to raise an eyebrow as he noticed he was not alone. What that boy was doing there, he did not know, but for some reason, he didn't feel disturbed by the fact. The boy had seen him do his morning exercise before, and he was not there to ogle his ass like the girl that had been with him the last time. From seeing them together during the exam, he assumed she was his teammate along with the chubby boy.

"Nara," he greeted him quietly, kneeling down almost beside him as he put down his bag, taking a few weapons from it; going to use them for his practice.

Shikamaru glanced over at him, watching him for a bit before looking back up at the sky. There was no use watching him now and he didn't think it would calm his mind more than the clouds.

"Hyuuga," he greeted back.

Standing up, Neji walked a little bit away from him before he started his exercise, not noticing that it was easier to focus this time. In the end he was barely aware of the others presence, the silence between them had become more comfortable.

\--

A couple of hours later, Neji stopped what he was doing, deciding it was time for a small break like normal. Walking back to his bag and the Nara, he sat down. Taking his bottle, he drank some of it before glancing at the younger boy. It seemed that he had been out there longer than he had, and though it was not as warm outside as before, because autumn was coming, the sun was still shining brightly, and it didn't seem like the other had brought water.

"Water?" he offered, having a strange sense of déjà vu as things almost proceeded like the first time they had met in the same spot.

Shikamaru looked over at the question and sat up after a pause. He reached over, taking the bottle and drinking from it; this time making sure his lips didn't touch the bottle's neck.

"Thanks," he said, handing it back.

Just nodding his head in return, Neji put the bottle down, the silence once again surrounding them with the exception of the birds twittering, the bees humming and the light breeze rustling the trees. It was almost... enjoyable. And he had achieved a tad more respect for the other boy when he heard what had happened during the final part of the exams, except that he had yielded.

Shikamaru kept his gaze on the Hyuuga for a minute before turning his head again. "So... what was that paper about?" he asked, remembering it. He still kept it in one of his desk drawers, in case it was something important; though he couldn't figure out if it could be.

Chuckling softly, Neji gave him a wry smile, amused.

"You should know," he told him, looking away from him again. "You requested it yourself during the second test," he added, giving him a clue so he could remember.

Shikamaru blinked slowly before his eyes widened and he blushed a little. "Ah, troublesome..." he muttered, scratching his cheek. "That was Ino's idea, you know..."

"Mm." Neji just nodded slightly. Of course he had known. Well, not whose idea it had been, but that it had only been a ploy to flatter him.

"I knew," he smirked. "It was just too amusing not to," he added, noticing the other's blush. For some reason, it looked rather good on the other boy; not that the Hyuuga noticed such things. No, he didn't.

Releasing a sigh, Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head, scowling slightly and looking at the ground. "At least someone was amused by that, I suppose," he said.

Neji nodded. "At least next time you know it won't work," he chuckled softly, watching the other boy in his embarrassment. However, he refused to admit that the look appealed to him. Taking another gulp of water, he got up, seeing as his break had passed.

Shikamaru snorted, reclining himself back on the grass again. "Maybe next time I'll ask for some of your hair instead," he said with a smirk, now teasing.

Spluttering slightly, indignantly a soft blush stained Neji's cheeks, barely there, yet still visible against his pale skin.

"Don't even joke about that." He looked away from the younger boy, mostly to hide the slight heat in his cheeks. It didn't make sense; the other boy was only teasing him a bit, so why was he blushing? _Blushing_! Hyuuga’s just didn't blush; well, _other_ than Hinata, they just didn't.

Shikamaru chuckled, his smirk widening as he watched the Hyuuga from the corner of his eyes. "Why not? I'm sure a lot of people would kill to even just touch your hair," he said. "Would you rather be asked for something else? Like your clothes?"

"I think an autograph is enough," he coughed lightly. "Besides, I doubt anyone would want my clothes." He wrinkled his nose. Would someone want any of that from him, for real? Neji was seriously in doubt, it seemed strange. No, Neji would never understand idol-worshippers.

"You'd be surprised," Shikamaru said. "Although I think it's more to see you naked, than to actually have your clothes," he mused before rolling his eyes. "Women are just too troublesome."

"Wh-what?!" Neji blurted out, whipping his head around to stare incredulously at the younger shinobi, a nice, strong blush settling on his cheeks; left eyebrow twitching slightly.

"B-but..." he spluttered, not able to wrap his mind around the idea of anyone wanting to see him naked.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, subduing the urge to laugh at the older's expression as he lifted his upper body, supporting himself on his arms. "Oh, come on. Women like pretty boys. And, face it, the only person who could compete with you there is the Uchiha. It's not that hard of a concept."

"But... naked?" the Hyuuga covered his mouth with a hand, still twitching before he looked at the other, looking skeptic, as if he thought this had to be a trick of some sorts.

"Do... people really think about things like... that?" he asked after a while. Neji had never thought of such a thing before, to him it was a laughable thought, but... The idea of girls wanting to see him... _naked_... He paled and blushed at the same time. He was starting to feel slightly ill.

"Your teammate doesn't do that?" the Nara asked, surprised. He paused before making a face. "All mine does is talk about who's 'hot and who's not' and why they fall into that category," he said, using air-quotes with one hand.

He scowled and laid back down, using his arms as a pillow. "You can imagine how annoying she gets."

"Ah..." Neji felt quite disturbed from this revelation. Then Shikamaru's next words made him feel like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over him. Did Tenten think like that too? Did she want to see him... in the nude? He felt a bit sick at the thought. Then again, hearing how Shikamaru described his teammate, he remembered the horrible girl that seemed to drag him along all the time.

"No... She does not," he replied. "Actually... she is usually complaining about how annoying the other girls are... at least, those that are like your teammate." His lips twitched slightly. Perhaps he had been lucky to have Tenten on his team. At least if you compared her to that girl Shikamaru was talking about.

"Well, you're lucky then," Shikamaru said, closing his eyes. "When it comes down to it, she's okay, but most of the time she's just too troublesome to deal with." At least, he thought to himself, he never had to worry about Ino fantasizing about him. That would just be creepy.

"I suppose..." he nodded, hesitating, he caught himself looking the other boy over once, and, finding nothing abnormal or repulsing about him, he hesitated a bit more before he, for once, let curiosity get the best of him.

"Does she... Do girls... want to see _you_ naked?" he asked, feeling rather stupid for asking. Then again, he could not particularly see why someone would want to see _anyone_ naked.

"Not that I know of," he said, shrugging. "Ino doesn't at least. Not like I'm anything interesting to look at anyway." He looked over at Neji again. "I know I don't have a fanclub at least."

Neji blinked. It didn't seem to make any sense to him. Why would he be more attractive than the Nara? He could see nothing wrong with him.

"Fanclub?" he asked. This... did not seem promising.

"You don't even know about that?"

Shikamaru sighed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "I... don't think it's anything official but girls like to gather together to compare notes and gab about who they like." He shrugged. "I don't understand it myself, but it happens. And it's usually about yourself or Uchiha."

"Ah..." Neji turned to stare up at the sky, paling a little more. Meetings? Since when? To talk about him?

"That is creepy," he said in the end, not knowing what else to say.

Shikamaru smirked again and starting to shake his head before deciding that was more energy than needed. "Why do you think I try and stay away from them?"

Neji's lips twitched slightly.

"I see," he nodded, but then he remembered he was supposed to practice. Annoyed with himself for forgetting about it, he got up and started his exercises. However, while he went through familiar steps, familiar poses, his thoughts went elsewhere. Neji wasn't exactly known for being talkative, and yet he had talked a lot with this boy he barely knew. Somehow, he didn't mind the chit chatter they had shared. It gave him a very strange feeling. Was this how it was like having friends?

Shikamaru himself was wondering what was making him talk this much. The only other person he said this much to was his mother and that was to argue with her. It just didn't normally seem worth it for small talk. Why bother forcing conversation?

He sat up after a while, watching the Hyuuga as he ran through his exercises. He noticed after a while that Neji slowed down at a certain point during his rotation, almost like he was hesitating.

The other boy was so different from himself, but not in an annoying way. Perhaps that was why he didn't mind talking with him so much. Yes, that had to be it.

Being too preoccupied with his thoughts, Neji did not see where he was stepping and, all of a sudden, he found himself laying face in the dirt, having stumbled and fallen. Silence stretched a bit while he wondered how that could have happened. Neji just didn't lose concentration like that. He frowned, displeased with himself before he stood up, brushing dirt from his clothes.

Had Shikamaru been anyone else or with anyone else, he surely would have laughed. It wasn't everyday you saw a trained and skilled shinobi trip over himself, after all.

"You were favoring your left leg for a bit there," he observed aloud.

Gritting his teeth, Neji refrained from snapping at the other boy for pointing out his mistake, but then again, he was right, he had to face it that he had made a mistake.

"Hn," he just replied, starting all over again, this time concentrating. Actually, his mind reminded him after a while, he should be grateful that the other had not mocked him for his mistake.

Shikamaru smirked, knowing how irked the other was with himself. He sighed, glancing up at the sky before deciding that he should probably get back home before his mother took it upon herself to search for him.

He stood up, absently brushing off his pants. He turned his gaze back onto Neji, wondering if he should bother with a farewell or not.

Faintly registering that the other stood up, Neji was concentrating for real this time, not letting anything distract him from those familiar moves. He'd be damned if he let himself stumble once more, or make any more silly, or stupid, mistakes.

Deciding against disturbing the older boy, Shikamaru just turned and started walking towards the village. On a second thought, he stopped and called over his shoulder, "It'll probably start raining in an hour. You might want to stop before then."

If he didn't hear, it was his own fault.

Hearing the other boy call out, Neji stopped what he was doing, landing gracefully after what had been a complex kicking move. Looking after the other boy, he raised an eyebrow and looked up at the sky. Rain? Nonsense, the clouds did not look threatening and to him, there was no sign that it would rain later.

\--

One hour and ten minutes later, a rather grumpy, soaked Hyuuga was stepping into his apartment (his Uncle had let him get one just outside the Hyuuga compound as long as he visited regularly). It was not his own fault, he decided, it had looked clear just up until it started raining. And what a rain.

He frowned. His hair would take hours to dry this way. Sighing, he started stripping down, deciding to take a shower. Nothing bothering to lock his door (it _was_ a ninja village, after all), he stepped into the shower. However, what irked him the most was not the fact that his hair was wet, or that he was feeling cold and uncomfortable. No, what irked him most was that the younger boy had known exactly when it would start to rain. How?

Shikamaru scowled, walking down the streets, an umbrella in one hand and a package in the other. He stopped in front of the apartment complex and stared up at it before pushing the button to alert the resident someone was there to see them.

Seeing Lee and getting the information out of him was both a blessing and a curse. Now he had to actually go through with what his mom insisted he do, but on the other hand he didn't have to wander out in the rain.

Sometimes the Nara wondered if his mother was hypnotizing his father and him-- how else could she get them to do all they did? Honestly, he didn't see why he had to go bring Neji some food. He was a capable ninja and if he hadn't taken his warning earlier, a little rain wouldn't hurt him. But of course his mother didn't see it that way.

Hearing the doorbell ring, Neji grumbled slightly to himself. Well, at least he was just done with rinsing his hair. Getting out of the shower, he padded over to the speaker and turned it on. Glaring at his wet tracks on the floor, he turned to the speaker again.

"Who is it?" he asked, wondering who would be visiting him? The only ones that ever visited him were Lee and Tenten, sometimes Hinata or Hiashi, but he couldn't think of any reason why any of them would be visiting him at a time like this, while it was raining none the less. He'd expect them to stay indoors at a time like this. Well, maybe not Lee, but... sighing softly to himself, he awaited the reply.

"Tch, it's me," Shikamaru said, voice obviously showing his annoyance at being out there. "Nara," he added as an afterthought, not sure if Neji would recognize his voice through the intercom.

"Ah..." Neji blinked in surprise at the speaker. What was the Nara doing there? It was not like they hung out on a regular basis, or... well, they couldn't exactly consider each other friends or anything. They just happened to be in the same places a few times.

"…Come up," he pushed the button, unlocking the door downstairs to let him into the complex. The ‘what’ would have to wait until he came up. With that thought, Neji looked down at himself.

"Just walk right in, the door is unlocked," he added, letting him know he wasn't going to be there to open the door to his apartment, seeing as he had to get dressed.

"Mm," he sounded in acknowledgment, opening the door while the buzzer was still going. He closed the umbrella once inside, shaking it a couple times before giving up and just dragging it as he started up the stairs.

He stopped in front of the other’s apartment door and turned the knob, opening it. He glanced around and not seeing a holder just tossed his umbrella to the floor and stepped further in, closing the door after him.

Cursing the fact that the lazy boy had used so little time getting up the stairs, Neji left his hair half-brushed (not that it mattered, he did not care much about looking good for the other boy, and besides, his hair didn't look that bad when unbrushed either) and wrapped the towel around his waist. Sighing, he cursed the fact that he had not brought any clean and dry clothes with him to the bathroom, he stepped into his living room where the other boy was already standing.

"I'll be ready in a moment," he told him as he walked towards his bedroom, "just get comfortable." Hurrying up, not comfortable showing that much skin in front of anyone, Neji swept into his bedroom and got dressed quickly. Then he went back out to the other boy.

"Sorry, I was in the shower when you rang," he apologized for not being able to greet him properly.

Shikamaru shrugged, waving it off. "It's fine; not like you were expecting me."

He still stood despite what Neji had said, not sure how long he'd actually be staying here. No use sitting down only to have to get up a minute later.

"Ah, this is for you," he said, not quite looking at him as he offered over a wrapped bento box.

Neji blinked and looked down at the bento box, which looked much too big to eat alone. "Ah... thank you...?" Neji looked questioningly at the other boy, wondering what this was all about.

"If you don't mind me asking, what... why...?" he's unsure of how to phrase his question, but he assumed the other would get the idea.

Shikamaru sighed and finally looked at him. "Maa, my okaa-san insisted that I find you and bring something."

He shrugged, setting it down on a nearby table when Neji didn't take it. "I don't try to figure her out, just find a way to get her to stop screeching. It probably has something to do with forming friendships with other clans," he said, shaking his head and scratching the back of it in exasperation.

"I see," Neji nodded, before pausing, following the Nara with his eyes before something occurred to him. For the Nara's mother to make her son bring him food, she would have to have heard something about them spending time together. Almost raising an eyebrow, Neji refrained from asking how she knew; it was trivial anyway.

"Would you like to stay, then?" he asked, slightly amused at the younger boy's description of his mother. "It is too much for me on my own, and if your mother want you to form friendships with my clan, she probably intended for you to stay for a while." He pushed back the small voice in the back of his head that questioned him for giving a reason for his request. It was pointless and stupid, and was not like him at all.

Shikamaru looked out the window for a second before looking back at Neji. "Sure. Might as well stay until the rain lets up anyway," he said, sitting down at the table, sitting cross-legged.

"You have a spare pair of chopsticks?" he asked as he unwrapped the bento, revealing rice, steamed vegetables, and deer meat teppanyaki.

Nodding, Neji went to find them plates and chopsticks. He did have chopsticks, plates and bowls for more than just himself, even though he rarely used it. Putting it on the table, he sat down, crossing his legs as well.

"I hope your okaa-san is a good cook," he joked lightly, putting some on his plate, putting it down in an almost aesthetic way, the vegetables neatly beside the teppanyaki and a small pile of rice in his bowl.

Shikamaru smirked, gathering a good amount of the meat to put on his plate, not caring if it looked nice or not. Despite taking care of all the deer in Konoha, the Nara's rarely got to keep the meat for themselves, selling most of it to make money for maintaining the forest and medical experiments. So he was going to enjoy it while he could.

"She got better with time," he replied, half joking.

Lips twitching slightly in amusement, Neji muttered a soft 'itadakimasu' before he started eating, doing so slowly, really tasting the food instead of just swallowing it all hurriedly. Finding it actually rather tasty, he nodded slightly in approval as he took another mouthful. It was certainly much better than most food he ate. He knew how to cook, but he was not the best at it. He had never cared to hone his skills in that department though; it was merely to feed himself, not to make an impression on anyone. His food was decent enough, but this was delicious.

"Give her my compliments," he said after a while, remembering his manners, chewing on some vegetables.

Shikamaru nodded, swallowing the mouthful of food before speaking, "I will, but then don't be surprised if she gives you something daily from then on."

Neji raised an eyebrow at that before taking another bite. He could not say he would object if she did, he would be eating much better that was for sure, but he was unsure if he could accept such a thing.

"I cannot accept such I am afraid," he spoke as if his uncle or other members of his clan was present. "It would be too much, really. I wish to make no trouble for your okaa-san."

"It wouldn't stop her if she wanted to do it," Shikamaru said but just shrugged, taking another bite of food.

\--

It was almost an hour later when they had finished most of the food. The Nara placed his chopsticks down on the holder, letting Neji have the last bites since it was made for him, after all.

When he had eaten the last of the bento, Neji bowed his head in thanks as he gathered their plates and bowls to put in the sink, intending to clean them later, before he returned to the table where Shikamaru was still sitting.

Shikamaru looked out the window again and frowned as it was still raining. With the food gone, there really wasn't a reason for him to stay. But he really didn't want to go out in that even if he did have an umbrella.

Seeing the other look out at the rain that was still pouring down, and now the wind had picked up quite a bit. Not even an umbrella would help in such weather.

"It seems you are staying," he concluded after a while, not even asking. It was obvious that the other boy did not want to go out in that weather, so it was his way of inviting him to stay until it stopped. Now, the only problem was finding something to do. He could not very well sit down and read a book while having a guest over, nor was he very skilled in the art of conversation.

Shikamaru nodded, leaning forward on the table and resting his head in his hand. "It's troublesome, but it's probably for the best."

After an awkward minute of silence, he looked over at Neji again. "Do you play shogi?"

Relieved the other had found something, Neji nodded.

"Yes, to some extent," he replied, getting up to find the shogi board he had standing on the shelf. It was a very fine board, befitting someone belonging to the main branch, not someone like Neji, but he had received it as a gift from his uncle, and as much he disliked the man, it would have been too rude to throw away such a fine gift.

"You may start," he said as he began setting the pieces.

Shikamaru's eyes widened slightly at the board. It was an expensive brand, far more than he would ever receive unless he bought it himself. For not being a shogi-fanatic, the Hyuuga had an impressive board.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, moving to help him set up. "You sure?"

Noticing the Nara's eyes widen at the sight of his board, Neji chose to ignore it. Finishing setting the pieces, he looked to the younger boy and nodded.

"Positive," he confirmed what he had said previously. What host would he be otherwise? Despite being a terrible conversationalist, he still knew a lot of etiquette and rituals, which was a result of his clan being rather old-fashioned.

Inwardly shrugging, Shikamaru looked down at the board and reached over, moving a pawn eight spaces forward. He folded his arms on the table, waiting for Neji to make a move.

Contemplating how he should open, Neji used a moment before he made his opening move. This would be interesting. Neji was not a bad player, but he was playing against someone that was at least equal with him in the game (because he would not admit that the younger boy could _possibly_ be better than him) and he looked forward to the challenge.

Shikamaru moved another piece forward, not paying too much attention yet and just getting a feel for how the other boy played.

Moving another piece, Neji looked up to study the other by while they played. It was interesting to see how unfocused the other boy looked at the moment, but then again, they _had_ just started the game.


	3. Chapter 3

"Checkmate," Shikamaru muttered, leaning back and stretching. He was actually impressed with how long the match had lasted. He knew Neji was a genius, but he hadn't said he played often.

Looking over the whole board, Neji confirmed that he was indeed in a check-mate. He was most certainly impressed by the younger.

"It was a good game," he commented with a small smirk, glancing over at the other.

Shikamaru mirrored the smirk and nodded. "It was. Only my sensei and otou-san last this long against me," he said, not bragging but just stating fact.

"Oh?" Neji raised an eyebrow, not knowing whether to feel good about his own accomplishment or exasperated over others' stupidity. He decided on a mix of both.

"I have only played against Hiashi-sama before," he said after a while.

"Did he teach you?" he asked. He started to put away the pieces, noticing that the storm had calmed down some and it was quickly getting dark and he didn't want to chance receiving a lecture if he stayed out any later.

"Yes," Neji replied with a nod, helping Shikamaru to put the pieces away. "I did not like it at first," he admitted with a twitch of his lips. Quite the opposite. He remembered having sulked a lot because his uncle always beat him. At least in the beginning. Then again, he _had_ been a child back then.

Shikamaru chuckled, looking up from the table. "I thought it was pointless at first, but Asuma-sensei kept challenging me. I guess it just became a hobby out of habit," he said with a shrug.

"Hn." Neji agreed with him. "I used to be angry because Hiashi-sama always beat me at it," he admitted. Something was strange. Neji never spilled his guts to anyone, or ever admit he had, or had had, flaws, but something told him the other boy would not make a big deal of it, or use it against him other than maybe tease him lightly.

Shikamaru nodded. "That's why I don't usually play against my friends. Either they're not interested in it or they complain too much. It just gets too troublesome so I gave up."

"I see," Neji nodded. "I started enjoying the game when I sometimes managed to beat Hiashi-sama. It made me determined to become even better." He chuckled softly.

Shikamaru smiled and nodded. "I only got better so my otou-san would stop teasing me. Sometimes I think he regrets letting me progress so far," he said, smile shifting into a smirk.

Neji chuckled softly, imagining Hiashi tease him for losing instead of just looking disappointed at him like he always had.

"I bet he does," he nodded, agreeing.

"Unfortunately," he said, standing up. "I should probably start heading back home. I'm sure she didn't expect me to stay out this late."

"Probably not." Neji looked at the watch at the wall, almost shocked to see that it was already eight in the evening.

"Remember to thank her from me," he reminded the younger boy of his earlier words. It was just then that he noticed Shikamaru's wet umbrella from earlier, laying on his floor and making a small mess. Frowning, displeased at it, but he smoothed out his frown by force. It was too late now, and he could not really complain. He had made a small mess on his own when he got out of the shower. In fact, it was because he had dried up that water he had been late getting dressed.

Shikamaru went over and picked up the umbrella. He looked over at Neji and scratched his cheek. "Ah, sorry about the mess..." he mumbled, figuring the other wouldn't appreciate it if the rest of the apartment's cleanliness was any indication.

"Hn." Neji gave the umbrella and the puddle a glare before sighing. "No matter, it is just water," he replied, walking over to the door.

"...thanks for the visit," he murmured after a while. "It was not overly annoying." He smirked, letting the other know he was not serious.

Shikamaru let out a small snort, returning the smirk. "Mm, you're not as troublesome as I thought you'd be, either," he said. "Maybe we could play a game again sometime."

"Maybe." Neji nodded. "I think it would be enjoyable," he replied in earnest, lips twitching slightly.

"I will put up more of a fight next time," he added.

Shikamaru chuckled, nodding his head slightly. "Good, I'd hate for you to always lose and then hate the game again."

"Not a chance," Neji smirked, amused. However, he did not mention that he actually wouldn't anyway. And in any case, he could always beat Hiashi-sama.

The Nara reached out and grabbed the doorknob, turning it. "So, I'll see y--" He cut himself off and looked down at the door, the knob not turning all the way.

Raising an eyebrow as the door would not budge, Neji sighed and, after a few tries to get it open, he grumbled to himself.

"I can't believe they still haven't fixed it," he growled annoyed.

Frowning, Shikamaru set his umbrella down again. "Does this happen a lot?" he asked. If it did, he hopefully got a discount on his rent if he had to pay any at all.

Neji was frowning by now, not at all pleased.

"Only when it rains and is cold outside. The door gets stuck, and it takes hours for it to be able to open," he sighed.

"I called a month ago about that problem," he muttered. Oh yes, those that would eventually come to fix it, would not meet a very happy Hyuuga.

Shikamaru sighed and glanced to the window again. It was nearly completely dark and he could still hear the rain. He could always go out there that way, but that meant using chakra...

Well, he could always just say they were caught up in talking and it was too late to go back home. His 'kaa-san would believe that, especially if he put emphasis on them getting along.

"...I suppose I'm staying the night then?"

"Seems like it." Neji nodded with a sigh. No point in waiting up. Who knew how long it might take. Looking at the clock again, he started walking to the kitchen. It had been quite a while since they ate the bento.

"I shall make us something to eat," he said quietly.

Shikamaru followed him back into the kitchen and took a seat at the table again. "You don't have to make me anything if it's too much trouble."

"It's not." Neji shook his head as he started making some sandwiches quickly. "It's not much anyway," he smirked at the other as he made them three each. It was perhaps too much, but it was better than too little.

"Here." He put the plate in front of the younger boy.

Shikamaru nodded, another smirk forming on his lips. "Itadakimasu," he said, picking up one of the sandwiches and taking a bite out of it.

Muttering the same, Neji did the same as the younger boy, taking one for his own. Chewing a bit, he watched the other boy.

"I apologize it is not as good as your mother's cooking," he said after a while.

Shikamaru shook his head, smiling slightly after he finished one of the sandwiches. "It's fine; I'm not picky about food. Besides, 'kaa-san doesn't usually cook like that."

"Good," Neji replied, slowly finishing his sandwich before taking another.

"Wait, she does not?" Neji blinked slightly confused. Why would she go so far as to make him something extra?

Shikamaru shook his head again. "No, she says we don't appreciate her enough or something so she doesn't bother putting in the extra effort. If she didn't nag constantly, I'd appreciate her a lot more," he said, muttering the last part to himself.

Amused, Neji shook his head as he took another bite of his sandwich.

"I see," he just nodded, not showing his amusement. Once they were done eating, other things came to mind.

"Ah... about sleeping..." he began.

Shikamaru leaned back on his hands, cocking his head a little. "I'll be able to sleep with whatever you have, I'm sure," he said, not worried about it. He could sleep outside easily, so why not in an almost-friends house?

Contemplating what Shikamaru was saying, Neji decided immediately that it was out of the question.

"You can have my bed," he said, and it was not a suggestion, it was a statement. He had already made up his mind.

Shikamaru blinked before sitting up straight again. "I won't throw you out of your bed," he said, frowning. "If you have a spare futon or even just a couple spare blankets I'll be fine. Really."

Neji was quite for a small while. "That... is sort of the problem..." he replied, sighing softly. "I don't have that. I have never had anyone sleep over before," he told the younger boy seriously.

"As I said, you can have my bed."

Shikamaru sighed, standing up. "How big is your bed?" he asked as he bent down and picked up the plates, putting them over in the sink. It was the least he could do for housing him anyway.

About to protest as the other put the dishes in the sink, Neji stopped himself. It was not like it would be of any use.

"The bedroom is in here," he murmured, waiting for the Nara to follow him, showing him his bedroom. Other than his towel from earlier, the room was spotless, just like the rest of his apartment, and in one corner was one bed, probably big enough for four people, if you were comfortable with one another.

Shikamaru stepped into the bedroom, staring at the bed for a few seconds before smirking and looking back at Neji. "It'll be big enough for both of us," he said flatly.

"Ah... okay," Neji was starting to feel slightly nervous. He had, as said, never had people sleeping over at his house, but that wasn't the whole truth, no... Fact was, Neji had never shared a bed with anyone, not even a distant cousin or something when he was little.

"It's plenty big enough," Shikamaru said, sitting down on a corner. "I'm pretty sure it's bigger than my parent’s bed anyway. I doubt we'll even brush against each other."

"Alright," Neji nodded, slightly relieved he had such a big bed; it would certainly make it easier to share with someone. At least, he assumed so. Grabbing his used towel, slightly embarrassed at the mess it made, he walked to the bathroom.

"I am afraid I don't have a spare toothbrush," he said, putting the towel into the box with clothes to be washed, "but I'll put some towels on the counter in here you can use." Looking at the Nara, he hesitated a little.

"Do you need to borrow night clothes?" he asked, having no idea what the Nara preferred. As long as he didn't sleep naked, that was fine with him.

"Ah... do you have a casual t-shirt I could borrow?" he asked. "If not, I'll be fine in just my boxers."

He shrugged off his cropped jacket, forcing himself to fold it and not just throw it on the floor like he'd do at home.

Amused as Nara seemed on the verge of dropping his jacket to the floor before starting to fold it, Neji went to look for a t-shirt he could use. Finding one, white with a soft, light purple pattern almost like a yukata, Neji went back to the Nara.

"Here," he told him, handing him the t-shirt.

Shikamaru eyed it in distaste for a second before nodding his thanks and taking it from him. He had no right to complain, even if it was incredibly girly-looking.

He un-snapped the clasps on his chain-mail shirt and took that off as well, repeating the process as he did with his jacket. He undid his two weapon's pouches before sliding off his capri pants and then finally pulled on the shirt. Which, he noted glumly, was long on him and made it look even more girly.

"What?" Neji raised an eyebrow, seeing the look Shikamaru was giving the t-shirt. Turning around to let him change in peace, Neji did sneak a peek every now and then without really thinking over it.

"You can put your clothes in the bathroom, on the chair," he suggested as the Nara had pulled his t-shirt over his head.

"Nothing," he muttered as he stood up and gathered his clothes, walking into the bathroom. He set the clothes down and untied his hair, letting it fall around his face, putting the hair tie on top of his clothes. He ran his hand through it once and came back out, not caring about cleaning up. If Neji complained about it, he'd do it but otherwise he didn't care.

Blinking, Neji could not help but stare as the other let his hair down. That was a sight he had not seen before. It was probably thicker, and harder to keep than his own, so it didn't seem as girly as he had thought it would look.

Shikamaru quirked an eyebrow at the older boy. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

Neji shook his head, smirking.

"You just look different with your hair down is all." He let his eyes glide over the other's hair once more. Walking into the bathroom, he found his toothbrush, starting to brush his teeth.

Shikamaru blinked then smirked, glancing over his shoulder at the Hyuuga. He shook his head a little to himself before asking, "Do you prefer a side of the bed?"

"No," Neji shook his head. "Take whichever side you want," he added, his speaking slightly muffled as his mouth was full of toothpaste and his toothbrush. Spitting out and rinsing his mouth, he put the brush back in the cup he had standing by the mirror. Then he grabbed his hairbrush. He was not going to bed without brushing his hair and tying it up; otherwise his hair would be a right mess in the morning, and that took too long.

Nodding even though the other couldn't see, Shikamaru climbed onto the bed, rolling onto the far side so Neji wouldn't have to walk as far or climb over him to get there. He eyed the one pillow before moving it so it was fully on the other side for Neji to use.

Having brushed and braided his hair loosely, and put on a pair of boxers and a t-shirt much like the one Shikamaru was wearing, Neji washed his face before he went to join the other in bed. Feeling slightly nervous, he got on the bed and, eyeing the pillow, he looked to the other.

"You can use the pillow," he said. "I rarely use it anyway."

"You sure?" he asked. "I'm already taking over half your bed." He could tell the Hyuuga wasn't very comfortable but he'd be more comfortable without a stiff neck in the morning tomorrow.

"It's too fluffy and soft for me anyway." Neji smirked at him, pushing the pillow towards the other before laying down. It wasn't exactly true that he never used it, but he didn't need it. Having been on quite a few missions that had lasted about a week or so, had made him grateful for anything softer than his own jacket as a pillow. His bed was softer than his jacket, so Neji felt no need for the pillow.

Releasing a sigh, the Nara just nodded and grabbed the pillow, stuffing it under his head quickly before settling down again. He was actually glad that he didn't have to go home; it meant he could sleep more and not have to do any chores. Although he wouldn't be surprised if he'd have to clean the whole house tomorrow.

Watching the Nara from the corners of his eyes, Neji noticed that the other was settling down and closed his eyes. Focusing on nothing, as if he was meditating, he made himself relax a bit more as he readied himself to sleep. Come to think of it, it wasn't that uncomfortable having to share a bed with someone.

Shikamaru let out a yawn and closed his eyes as well, letting his mind unwind as he relaxed and started to drift off.

"Night," he muttered softly.

Almost raising his eyebrows, Neji nodded slightly.

"Good night," he replied just as softly before he made himself fall asleep.

\--

Shikamaru grunted slightly, the bright sun waking him up unwillingly. He refused to wake up, clinging to the last strings of sleep, pressing further into the warmth surrounding him. He blinked open his eyes, it registering that this wasn't normal.

He pulled back-- or at least as far as the others grip would let him-- and looked down at the Hyuuga in confusion.

Frowning in his sleep, Neji hid his face in the Nara's chest as he tried to avoid the sun waking him up. Normally, the Hyuuga would have woken up long since, but the warmth beside him was so comfortable, and made him so relaxed, that he had slept in, not noticing what the warmth was or that it wasn't how it was supposed to be.

Shikamaru couldn't stop the small chuckle from escaping his lips, gazing down at Neji with an eyebrow raised. He studied the other boy, surprised at how different he looked when asleep. Looking so calm and peaceful and, well, pretty.

The Nara blushed slightly at that thought and minutely shook his head. He was probably still tired; that's why he thought it. He let out a sigh and settled back down, trying to sleep again, not wanting to wake the other either.

Then the door slammed open and in bounced a perky, yet annoyed Tenten.

"Neji!" she began, not yet having noticed that Neji was not the only one in the bed, "You're late for practice! Honestly, and you always remind us not… to be… late..." she trailed off, eyes widening as she took in the scene in front of her. A still sleeping Neji cuddling with... another boy. Nara Shikamaru if she didn't remember wrong from the exam.

"... _What_?!"

Shikamaru cracked open his eyes again, cursing his luck and the female population. He wanted to sleep more, damnit. He glanced over at the kunoichi, studying her and recognizing her.

Neji had said she wasn't like normal girls, but she sure screamed like one.

Opening his eyes, Neji sensed immediately that something was wrong and he sat up abruptly. Too sudden, seemingly, as it caused his head to swim. Looking toward the source of the noise, he raised an eyebrow.

"Tenten?" he asked, not at all pleased she had barged into his bedroom like that. It was rude. "What are you doing here?" he asked calmly.

"You... you're late for practice..." she said rather lamely before puffing up her cheeks slightly, looking almost angry.

"Why didn't you tell me you had a boyfriend, huh? I thought we were supposed to be friends!" she accused, she'd be damned if she let him get away with this.

Shikamaru turned over and half sat up, supporting his weight on his arms, watching them both with disinterest through the conversation. His eyes widened at the last comment. This was getting too troublesome fast.

"W-woah, we're not..." he started interrupting.

"What?" Neji frowned slightly, what was she talking about? Wasn't he even allowed to have friends?

"I am sorry I am late for practice, now get out," he snapped, getting annoyed with her, although he was probably more annoyed with himself, letting himself oversleep like that. It just wasn't like him. "I'll be there in a moment."

"But..." Tenten frowned, looking from the Nara to the Hyuuga. Interpreting their reactions, there seemed to be nothing between them, especially seeing as she knew Neji had no clue about relationships and such. Still, there was nothing to explain the cuddling she had witnessed. "What is he doing here then?" she finally asked, now confused.

"Hm? Oh," looking at the Nara, Neji shrugged. "The door still hasn't been fixed," he explained.

Shikamaru sighed, slouching forward and bringing one hand up to rub at his eye, hair falling down and covering his face from view. He blocked out their conversation for the most part, wondering if he would be allowed to stay here and sleep for a while longer and avoid everyone else...

"...that's all?" Tenten raised an eyebrow, not really believing it.

"Should there be more?" Neji just countered, getting confused. "Look, just get out, go to Lee... or something. I'll be there right away."

Shaking her head, not thoroughly convinced, Tenten just exited the room. It was obvious that she wasn't getting anything more out of them right now. But she was so going to do some research on this. _Neji Hyuuga, don't think you can keep any secrets from me..._

Shikamaru glanced up as she left, looking over to Neji. He could tell that he was annoyed and confused as well. He let out another sigh and asked, "You don't care that she thought we were boyfriends?"

Looking back at the younger boy, Neji tilted his head slightly. Why did it seem so horrible if people thought they were friends? Which, they weren't quite, but who cared?

"Why should I care what she thinks?" he asked. It was not like other peoples' opinions mattered much to him.

Shikamaru blinked, nodding after a few seconds. He wasn't completely sure that Neji understood, but it would be too troublesome to explain either way. And he did have a point.

"That's true," he said, voicing part of his thoughts. "I guess I should get dressed and go, hm?"

"Mm," getting out of bed, Neji stretched slightly to get rid of any eventual stiffness, but surprisingly, there wasn't any. Shrugging it off, he told the younger boy he could have the bathroom first. In the meantime, he went to prepare breakfast, that is, after having washed his face and hands in the kitchen sink; he wasn't going to let his hygiene go off like that just because he had visitors over.

While he prepared breakfast, he made sure he would have to ask Tenten about her peculiar behavior this morning.

Shikamaru was quick in relieving himself and washing. He frowned a little to himself, knowing his breath couldn't be pleasant, but he couldn't do anything about that anyway. He shed off the borrowed shirt and slipped back into his own clothes. Not sure where to put the used shirt, he just folded it (albeit messily) and put it where it own clothes had been.

He re-tied his hair as he walked out of the bathroom and made his way out into the kitchen, not caring if his hair looked perfectly tied up or not.

Looking up as the other entered the kitchen, Neji's lips twitched a little. The Nara's hair looked really messy, although it was probably because he didn't have a hair brush to use.

"Could you finish making breakfast while I get ready?" Neji asked, wondering if he was asking too much of his guest. Then again, it was kind of a forced visit, so he decided it hadn't been rude to ask.

Shikamaru smirked slightly and nodded. "Sure, just don't blame me if it's not up to your standards," he said, teasing as he went over and looked at what he was cooking, hoping that he could actually help make it.

"I'm sure it will do," he shrugged, knowing that his own cooking wasn't exactly of high standard either. Giving him some quick instructions as how to finish the food and making sure the Nara knew where to find the necessary tools, he went into the bathroom, frowning slightly as he saw how his braid had loosened during the night.

Shikamaru sighed and pulled a chair over to sit at the stove. He was still tired and if he didn't have to stand, why do it? He did what Neji had instructed, idly poking the food with the spatula as it cooked.

Finally ready, Neji cast a last glance at himself in the mirror, thankful for the fact that his hair was easy to take care of. Knowing nothing was out of place he went back into the kitchen, wondering if the food was done or if it needed a few more minutes cooking.

Shikamaru had fallen into a light sleep in those few minutes, head resting in the crook of his arms on the counter next to the stove. The food was starting to get overcooked, ignored by the Nara.

Hurrying over to the stove, Neji pulled it off and turned the stove off then he gave the sleeping Nara an irritated glare. Honestly, who couldn't stay awake to watch the stove for a few minutes? Huffing to himself, he let the Nara sleep while he prepared the food and put it on the table. Then, smirking, he turned to the sleeping boy on the counter and pushed him down, knowing he'd fall face-down on the floor, hopefully without breaking his nose.

"Food's ready," he just told him, a small, smug smirk on his lips.

His eyes snapped open just before he hit the ground, the impact forcing a grunt out of him. He pushed himself up with a groan, wiping the bit of drool from the corner of his mouth.

"You could've just shaken me awake," he grumbled, not pouting up at him. Because men did not pout, especially not Nara men.

Neji just shook his head. He really couldn't have, it had not brought anything close to the satisfaction of watching the Nara like that. He also found it particularly amusing that the younger boy was pouting up at him. He did decidedly not just think that it was almost becoming on him; no, he certainly did not.

Shikamaru sighed, standing up and brushing off his pants more on instinct than anything else. If he was any less passive, he'd have done something back to Neji, but as it was he just eyed the food.

"I didn't mess it up, did I?"

"No," Neji shook his head, sitting down with folded legs at the table, waiting for his guest.

"It's still edible," he just said, making himself a mental note not to ever let the Nara close to a stove again if he could help it. Not that he would have any use of it another time; he really didn't think they would ever be in a situation like this again.

Shikamaru nodded and sat down cross-legged on the other side of the table, not bothering to hold back a yawn though he did at least cover his mouth. "So you're going to train again?" he asked.

"Mm," he nodded, putting some food on his plate. "I always do my morning training with my team once a week." He put some food into his mouth, chewing carefully on it before swallowing. There was one thing he was wondering at though... how could he have overslept? Even worse, he had slept through his alarm, and usually he woke up before it even rang.

Shikamaru did the same, though taking a decidedly less amount of food. He made a sound of acknowledgment but otherwise kept quiet, noticing the other was lost in his thoughts and _he_ always liked to be left alone when he was.

Pushing away those thoughts, Neji decided not to fuss over it, even though it was strange. Looking over at the Nara, he sighed.

"Aren't you going to train?" he asked, having been wondering when the younger boy trained, seeing as whenever he saw him, he was only watching him do his exercises.

Shikamaru shrugged, swallowing his bite of food. "I will eventually. My sensei hasn't called any meetings since the funeral so I don't see why I should bother if he's not going to be there helping."

Raising an eyebrow, Neji almost didn't believe his own ears. So there existed someone that didn't train unless he was with his team.

"That is strange," he just replied, giving the younger boy a strange look.

"What is?" Shikamaru asked before taking another bite of his food.

"Nothing," he just replied. "Still, you should train some more. It would do you some good."

"I guess. I can't really train properly unless it's with someone, though," he said, putting his chopsticks down, finished eating his share. He didn't like eating much in the mornings anyway.

"Hn." Nodding once, Neji finished eating his share as well, noticing there were leftovers. He had thought the other would eat some more, but he guessed that when someone used as little energy as him, one didn't need to eat more. Gathering the dishes, he left them with the dishes from yesterday, still irked that they seemed to be piling up, before he put the leftovers in a box.

"Ready to go?" he asked the other, seeing as he had to leave soon because of his friends.

Shikamaru nodded and stood up, holding back a sigh. At least he could still avoid his mother until that night.

Putting the empty bento box in a bag, Neji handed it to the younger boy.

"Tell your mother I am sorry I didn't wash it before returning it," he told him, pulling on his jacket.

...Well that plan was ruined. He didn't want to wander around the village holding a bag that would end up smelling in a few hours.

"It's okay," he muttered. "Doubt she expected it back clean anyway." He bent down, picking up his umbrella.

Nodding, Neji locked them out, although, frankly, when living in a ninja village simply locking a door was foolish; half of the citizens would be able to enter your house at any given time should they want to.

"Well, I'll see you," he gave the other a slight inclination of his head as a good-bye.

"Yeah," was all he said, lifting a hand in a slight wave as he started walking off towards his home.


	4. Chapter 4

Increasing his speed, it didn't take long before Neji arrived at his team's usual training spot, wondering what his teammates would say that he was so late. Not that he cared, but he was in no mood to deal with nosey teammates.

Tenten jumped back, dodging a mediocre kick from Lee and swung a restrained punch at him which he managed to dodge as well.

They went on like this until Lee spotted Neji and straightened up as best he could, waving at his teammate with a wide grin. "Ohayo, Nej--" He was cut off with a kick to the face that sent him sprawling, Tenten not able to stop in her attack when he was distracted.

Tenten landed on her feet and looked down at Lee, huffing a bit but concerned. "You can't get distracted, Lee, especially when you’re still recuperating!" she admonished as she turned her gaze to Neji, calculating.

Shaking his head at the oh-so-typical behaviour of his teammate, Neji came to a halt in front of them.

"I apologize for being late," he said stiffly, watching Lee get up on his feet again after dragging over a crutch and using that for help, noticing him rubbing his cheek. Tenten was not one to take lightly as an opponent, not even during training.

"It is not a problem, my friend!" Lee said, putting another grin on despite his cheek already starting to bruise and swell. "I am sure you were only late because you were taking time to build your Youthful Spirit!"

"Youthful is right," Tenten muttered to herself, shaking her head. "So, Neji," she started, casually walking up to him, eyes curious. "Just how close are you with that other boy?"

Raising an eyebrow at Tenten's question, Neji felt as though she was implying something, but he couldn't seem to figure out what. Deciding that he would figure it out later, he replied rather neutrally.

"He was visiting yesterday," he just said, leaving out why because it didn't seem important. "It was raining, and the door sticks shut sometimes in that sort of weather. So he stayed the night. That's all." He looked at his team-mate, slightly curious, "What were you thinking of?"

Tenten gave a pout, cheeks puffing up a little, putting her hands on her hips. "If that's all, then why were you two all cuddled up and cozy together in your bed?" she asked, voice just short of accusing.

Lee blinked, looking at his two teammates in confusion. What were they talking about? He hated being left out!

Frowning faintly, Neji was by now a hundred percent sure she was implying something, but, because he had been overprotected all his life, he knew there was something he was not getting.

"I do not know," he replied flatly. "Do you control everything you do in your sleep?" he asked back, although this news troubled him slightly. They had been cuddling when she entered the room? What irked him was that, usually, he _was_ in control of himself, even when asleep. It was unusual for him to move around.

Tenten narrowed her eyes a little, staring at Neji. There had to be something else going on. It just didn't make sense otherwise! Of course she knew her teammate was sheltered, but he wasn't oblivious. Right?

She heaved a sigh and crossed her arms, looking off the side, eyes still narrowed. "Whatever. Let's just train," she said, dropping it. For now. Oh, she was _going_ to find out what was going on...

Nodding, Neji agreed to what his team-mate had said, however... he did decidedly not like the look she had gotten in her eyes. It was a look that said she was nowhere near done with this subject, and she would not stop until she got to the bottom of it. It was a look he and Lee had gotten to know quite well.

\--

Sighing to herself, Ino was bored to death where she was standing behind the counter of her family's shop. It was one of those silent days with not many visitors or customers, and nothing really to do. She had checked that all the flowers were fresh; twice. She had made sure they were all priced correctly and she hadn't seen the shadow of her friends and team-mates all day. And now boredom was slowly killing her, she was sure of it.

After thoroughly exhausting Neji with a barrage in weapons (not that he'd ever admit to being tired) to help him master his byagukan and saying farewell to both him and Lee, Tenten meandered down the villages streets, wondering just how she was going to get to the bottom of this... mystery.

It's not like she could just go up to the Nara and attack him with questions; they didn't know each other well enough for that! And obviously Neji wasn't going to say anything. Or had nothing to say.

She was getting nowhere and quickly frustrated, wanting to just take a kunai and stick it in someone's--

She paused her train of thought and looked at the sign hanging in front of her. She smiled slowly; if she remembered right, the Yamanaka's ran this shop and Ino was her teammate's potential lover's, well, teammate. Maybe _she_ knew something.

Tenten turned and opened the door to the shop, bell chiming as the door hit it, and walked in.

Looking up as the door bell chimed softly, announcing a visitor, Ino stood up straight immediately, wanting to look her best for whoever it was, and she most decidedly did not look her best slouching over the desk like that. Blinking at the unusual visitor, she smiled in recognition of Tenten, one year her senior that, like her, had attended the Chuunin exam and almost gotten through to the final test. Almost.

"Irrashaimase," she greeted her fellow kunoichi, giving her a friendly nod. "Is there anything special you are looking for?" silently adding a 'you're not someone we see often in this shop' in her head.

Tenten glanced around the shop for a second, taking it all in quickly. She really didn't like talking with other girls much but as obviously annoying the other girl could get she did need help.

Taking a breath, she walked over to the counter, returning the smile with one of her own. "Actually, I was wondering if I could talk with you."

"With me?" Ino raised an eyebrow in surprise. Tenten wasn't exactly a girl that liked to hang out with her kind of people; at all.

"Ah, alright," she smiled then, before looking around. "Here? Or somewhere else?" she asked, secretly hoping that the other girl had come to tell her about her teammate (Neji obviously, not the other one!) having a crush on her or something like that.

"Um," Tenten paused, worrying her bottom lip a little. "Somewhere a bit more private would probably be better." Who knew who would over-hear them talking and as much as she wanted to know about this, spreading it around (yet) wouldn't be smart.

"Alright," Ino nodded, looking into the backroom, and, spotting her mother there, she yelled.

"Okaa-san! I'm going out, watch the shop for me!" taking her apron off, she pulled the older girl with her out of the shop before her mother could retaliate. Feeling satisfied that she had gotten out of the most boring afternoon ever, they rounded the house until they got at the back door. Opening it, she invited the older girl into the part of the house where they lived, and into her own bedroom. Somewhere more private was near impossible to find.

Tenten blinked, allowing herself to be pulled along. She glanced around what was obviously the other girl's room, trying her best to not show how stupid she thought it looked; who needed all those knick-knacks and, well, everything else?

Casting a look out the window, Ino pulled her pink curtains for to block out everything else before going to sit on her flowery-decorated bed, letting Tenten have the only chair in the room.

"So... what did you want to talk about?" Ino asked cutely at the brunette, wondering what it could be.

Tenten sat down in the chair with a small sigh and fixed her gaze on the younger girl. "Well, uh," she started, realizing she hadn't really thought up a way to talk about or ask this. "Did your teammate, uh... Shikamaru? Has he said anything to you about the previous day?"

"Huh?" Tilting her head, Ino was confused. What the hell? Shikamaru? Why did Tenten want to talk about him? As if he ever did anything strange... well, strange enough to be talked about, by older shinobi nonetheless.

"Um... no?" she looked questioningly at the older girl, noticing the way she fumbled with her words. "I haven't really talked to him in a while... he's just not been around, I guess... What has he done now?"

Her lips tilted upwards in a slight smile. "That's what I'm trying to find out," she said.

"See, this morning, my team was going to train like usual, right? But oddly enough, Neji didn't show up," she started to explain. "And he's never late; not for training. So I left Lee by himself to go see what was wrong. I got to his apartment and he was still asleep and, well... cuddled up and all-but clinging to Shikamaru. In his bed."

Listening curiously to Tenten's tale, Ino's eyes widened considerably at the end. It wasn't what she had been hoping for, but it was the juiciest bit of rumors she had heard in a long while. It was almost as good as what she had hoped for, she decided.

"Really?" Ino giggled at the thought of her teammate with Hyuuga Neji; it was strange, yet certainly appealing. Maybe she could ask for some pictures... that certainly would be hot.

"Gee, I never knew that Shikamaru had a knack for guys..." she paused, "but I should'a guessed." She giggled; so that was why Shikamaru would always moan about women being troublesome. However, her inner self pouted, if it was true that the two boys were together like that... no way Shikamaru would get away with not having told her! Never mind that if he had, it would have been a known fact in the whole village within twenty-four hours after she was told.

Tenten smiled, inwardly rolling her eyes a little, "Yes, but... Neji says it was nothing. I mean, I know he's socially inept, but he can't be that much, right? I was hoping you'd know if something was actually happening between them or not."

Almost groaning at how stupid guys could be at times, Ino cursed whatever it was that made some shinobi messed up in some way or other. Neji _was_ one of them.

"Sorry," she shook her head, pursing her lips. "Shikamaru isn't one to talk about his social or private life, except maybe with Chouji... and he's not gonna tell on him." Then, a mischievous smile crept over her lips.

"We'll find out though." She stated confidently. They were kunoichi after all.

Tenten's smile shifted into a smirk and she nodded. "Neji said his door was stuck, which does happen often, but that still doesn't explain why Shikamaru was there with him in the first place."

There were just so many things that didn't sit right with the weapon's girl. But either way, she thought to herself, they'd make a pretty cute couple anyway.

Ino nodded, agreeing. "You know..." she said thoughtfully, remembering something she had forgotten (mostly because her beauty had been insulted by the Hyuuga). "Come to think of it... Not too long ago, Shikamaru mentioned watching Neji train," she grinned at the memory, definitely leaving out a few details about her own behavior.

Tenten's eyes widened a little. "Neji mentioned something before about that, too," she said, leaving out that he'd said the boy was annoying. "If it weren't for us being his teammates, I'm sure Lee and I wouldn't be welcome to train with him."

She nodded slightly. "There _has_ to be something going on..."

"Mnhm..." Ino was already thinking about how they were going to find out the truth. They would definitely have to stalk them a bit. She doubted that Neji would ever admit to having a lover, and Shikamaru... well, he would think it was too troublesome with all the rumors there were bound to be.

"I'll at least have a chat with Shikamaru today," she smirked. Oh, the brunette would have no idea what had hit him when she was done with him, should it show that their suspicions were correct. How dare he keep something juicy like this from her?

Tenten raised an eyebrow at her smirk, wondering just what she would do. She almost felt sorry for the other boy.

Looking at the other girl, Ino grinned as they started going through plans for "Operation Stalk Shikamaru and Neji" as she named it.

\--

Training in his usual field, Neji was aware of how it now almost resembled a real battlefield after he had finally gotten to practice on his own, which meant, no one that could see him at all, enabling him to use some techniques he wanted to keep secret, as a back-up just in case. Not that he would need them, but it couldn't do any harm. However, soon enough he took a break, his mind going to the younger Nara. He used to be there, in the field cloud-gazing, at this time of the day, and he wondered faintly where he was before frowning at himself. What did he care anyway?

Shikamaru sighed as he idly ambled over towards his usual spot. He watched the sky as he walked, wishing he had more time to laze about like normal. Yoshino had scolded him sharply for not coming home and then he'd actually had to train with Asuma and Chouji.

Lucky Ino, he thought. Gets to just sit in her shop all day and do nothing since her parents were too busy...

Just then, a kunai swooshed through the air going close enough to Shikamaru's face to make a thin, shallow wound, drawing a little blood.

Freezing in his tracks as he watched a little blood trickle down the younger boy's cheek, Neji just stared, almost paralyzed. He hadn't meant to hurt the other, or even to throw anything even potentially dangerous at him, even though he knew the other was probably able to avoid them, but he hadn't noticed the other before the weapons had left his hands. Now it were embedded in the target he had hung up on a tree a little to Shikamaru's left, having hit the bulls eye perfectly, just like all the other kunai he had thrown.

Shikamaru blinked and brought a hand up to his cheek, feeling the small sting. He took it away and glanced down to see the deep pink tinge to his finger now. He breathed out a soft 'troublesome' before glancing up again, spotting Neji.

"If you're aiming for me, you need a lot more work," he said, smirking, obviously not caring much. Besides, who knew how many cuts and bruises a shinobi got daily anyway? Another wouldn't make a difference.

Crossing his arms a little defensively, Neji glared half-heartedly, feeling slightly guilty.

"It's your own fault anyway," he snapped back, starting to feel a little annoyed with both the way the other shrugged it off, and the fact that he was bothered a little by it. Hyuuga’s didn't do bothered. "Coming into the training grounds like that, as if you were strolling in the park," he almost sneered, if it wasn't for the fact that Neji didn't sneer, or let himself get worked up about anything. Right. He was certain that the younger genius had long since figured out when he started practice and when he ended it by now.

Shikamaru absently wiped his hand on his pants before stuffed said hand back into his pocket. His smirk just widened a little.

"I know no one comes here except for you, and, silly me, I'd figured you'd be able to see me with your byakugan," he responded teasingly.

"Which I'm not using at the moment," Neji felt himself flush ever so faintly in anger over the Nara's insult. Yes, while he did most of his practice with his byakugan, it still took chakra to use it a lot. During missions he would not be guaranteed he would always have enough chakra to have his eyes activated, so today he was doing something different. Because Hyuuga Neji, no matter how unnecessary, didn't like not being good in some things, and while proud of his bloodline, if not his clan in general, he did not like relying too much on it.

The Nara resisted the urge to roll his eyes and just shrugged. "Either way, I'm fine and you hit your mark. Unless, that is, you _were_ aiming for me?"

"Don't be stupid Nara!" Neji frowned slightly before settling with glaring at the younger boy. "Just get to your usual spot and stop interrupting my training."

To be honest, Neji didn't know why he felt so grumpy that Shikamaru was late or that he had interrupted his practice in a way that had gotten him hurt. It really shouldn't matter, and he was sure Shikamaru had had worse injuries than that.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, lips twitching into a smirk again. "Yeah, yeah. Don't get your panties in a twist, Hyuuga."

He snorted softly. "I'm glad you've reserved this spot for me then," he said, walking over to said spot lazily before just-short-of flopped down on his back.

"I'm not a woman, Nara!" Neji replied, eyes narrowing at another insult. What the hell was Shikamaru getting at? He had been much more friendly (if you could put it as such, polite maybe?) at Neji's apartment the previous day.

"And at least I know where you are then," he huffed. No, he hadn't reserved a spot for him, but it was beneath his dignity to tell him that. He had simply noticed the other had a preferred spot to stay in while doing his cloud watching.

Shikamaru just made a vague, acknowledging noise in the back of his throat and waved a hand a little before partaking in his favourite pastime.

If only the Hyuuga could take a joke, it would be so much more fun, he thought with a soft sigh.

Narrowing his eyes, Neji decided that the Nara would need to be taught a lesson. Well, later, when he was done with the first half of his training. Refocusing on his task, he continued persistently what he had been doing.

Shikamaru's attention shifted between the sky and the other ninja every now and then. He wasn't sure why, but the other's movements were oddly... hypnotizing as he trained.

Almost raising an eyebrow, he caught the other looking at him every now and then, without actually giving away that he had caught those puzzling gazes. For some reason, it hadn't bothered the Hyuuga when he had been spied on, but these... less concealed gazes did bother him a little. It was simply because Shikamaru normally didn't even as much as look at him while he was training otherwise; at least, that's what he told himself.

Shikamaru scowled to himself slightly, closing his eyes and just relaxing in the grass. He let out a long breath, somehow relaxing his muscles further, except for the small frown that stayed on his face.

Just then a soft _thak_ could be heard right beside him as a kunai embedded itself in the ground, only a handful centimeters away from his head.

Shikamaru tensed slightly, opening one eye to look at the weapon. He opened the other and turned his gaze onto the Hyuuga, raising an eyebrow as he sat up slightly, resting his weight on his lower arms.

Smirking slightly from the branch he was sitting on, Neji threw another on, this time missing the Nara's head with only a couple of centimeters. Hm, he thought to himself. Not bad.

Shikamaru's eyes widened slightly and he forced himself not to flinch lest he move the wrong way and get cut again.

"Uh, Neji? You do know what I said earlier wasn't an invitation to use me as target practice, right?" he asked.

Another kunai followed, and another, both missing the other with only a few millimeters this time around. Neji was satisfied.

"It sure sounded like one," he just called back, smirking at the suppressed flinch of the Nara. His byakugan was activated this time around, enabling him to see the other clearly, and to aim right, even from that distance.

Shikamaru scowled and just mumbled a 'troublesome' before lying back down. Normally he wouldn't care and might even be willing to help, but now he was just tired from his earlier training. Besides, he trusted the other enough to know he wouldn't actually get hurt.

But that didn't mean he wanted to now. He fought back a smirk as he started at the Hyuuga, letting his shadow stretch out as thin as it could, creeping towards the tree.

Throwing another kunai, this one nicking Shikamaru's jacket slightly, but didn't touch skin, Neji pretended not to notice the chakra-filled shadow creeping up on him. Did the Nara think he was totally oblivious to his methods? Not likely, not after the Chuunin exam. Moving as fast as he could, he moved, almost casually, beside the younger shinobi with a smirk.

"Think I'd be trapped that easily?" he asked rather cockily, not really caring if the shadow caught him now that he was sitting close by; he had been thinking about taking a break in practicing anyway.

Shikamaru smirked before raising a hand and gripping the cloth at Neji's shoulder. "Got you now, don't I?" he asked in the same tone (though far less practiced, because, really, Shikamaru's no Hyuuga in smugness).

On impulse, he leaned up and pulled the older boy down, their lips connecting harshly and clumsily for a few seconds before Shikamaru's brain functioned correctly again and he froze.

Tensing up, Neji's eyes seemed to widen impossibly as he was pulled down so their lips met clumsily, awkwardly, stealing his first kiss. He hadn't minded when the other had grabbed his shoulder, that was normal, but this... this wasn't normal was it? At least, not among friends.

Seemingly frozen like that, Neji was starting to panic, his mind running a mile in a minute, telling him he should pull away, no push the other away harshly, and run. Unfortunately or fortunately depending on who was thinking, Neji's body didn't listen to his brain.

Shikamaru's grip loosened on the other's shirt before letting his hand completely fall off as he pulled back from his first kiss. His lips parted slightly and he glanced away, tongue absently flickering out against his own top lip.

He put more space between them, lying down before rolling away and pushing himself to his feet. He chanced a glance back at the other, putting his hands into his pockets. "U-um," he started, clearing his throat a little as his voice broke, "See... you..." he muttered, walking away at a faster pace than normal.

Eyes still wide, and unreadable, Neji couldn't do anything but stare at the younger boy as he let go of him and sat back. Silently, he felt grateful his bloodline made it hard to read his eyes, and his control stopped him from doing anything stupid in the almost-panic he was feeling.

As Shikamaru disappeared, Neji just sat there, staring into empty air, having forgotten all about his training.


	5. Chapter 5

Shikamaru wandered down the streets aimlessly, eyes still wide and mind racing and wondering what in god's name had made him do that. Sure the Hyuuga was nice to look a-- no, he did not just think that.

He squeezed his eyes shut, pausing in his step, and brought a hand up, rubbing the heel of his palm into an eye.

"Troublesome."

"Hmm, what's gotten you so riled up today?" Ino smirked, having seen him long since before she came up to walk beside him. To most people, Shikamaru didn't look like he was riled up, or bothered by something, but Ino knew better. Shikamaru was walking way too quickly for nothing to be up. And Ino was eager to get to know why.

Shikamaru froze for a second before lowering his hand and opening his eyes, sending a withering look at Ino. "What do you want, Ino?" he asked, trying to sound as bored as possible.

He really didn't feel like putting up with her, not when there was so much he needed to sort out now.

...Maybe she could be a welcome distraction instead, but he doubted it.

Grinning at the look he was giving her, Ino was rather used to it, and it only made her even more certain that something was up. And she was definitely going to find out about it, no matter what!

"Nothing," she replied innocently, playing a little with her bangs, smiling sweetly at him, trying to look like she was just a concerned friend. Which she was, but not like that. "Just wondering what got you in such a rush..."

Shikamaru heaved a sigh and glanced away slightly, jaw jutting out in a small pout. "Nothing's 'got me in a rush'," he said, not enjoying the other's scrutinizing one bit.

"Mnhm," Ino clearly didn't believe him, looking at him searchingly. "You just woke up this morning, feeling like going for a brisk walk. Shika... this is _you_ we're talking about!" Ino was amused at her friend's pout. It was rather adorable, though she still didn't know what Neji saw in her best friend. It didn't matter, if he made Shika happy, she wasn't going to question it.

"So, Shika..." she began, completely changing the subject. "What have you been up to lately? I haven't seen you around..." she smiled sweetly once again, making the question sound as casually and innocent as possible.

Shikamaru glanced back at her from the corners of his eyes, looking at her suspiciously. "...I was training earlier," he finally said, giving a safe answer. "Don't you have other people to bother?"

"Nope!" Ino chirped happily, latching onto Shikamaru's arm in a friendly manner. "And you? Training? On your own?" Ino raised an eyebrow. "I'm impressed Shika!" She smirked up at him. Now how to go on about this... she might not be as good a strategist as her friend, but she wasn't stupid either.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, not even bothering on trying to detach her. He learned long ago that the female was like a leech when she wanted to be and nothing short of Sasuke himself asking her out would bring her away.

"No, I trained with Chouji," he said, correcting her.

"Chouji...?" Ino looked puzzled on purpose. "But I've been with Chouji for at least an hour, hanging out at the barbeque..." she replied innocently, knowing she had got him. "And he didn't mention anything about you being so... energetic today," she smiled sweetly.

Shikamaru quirked an eyebrow, not sure whether to believe her or not. Not that it really mattered. "I haven't been training with him this whole time anyway," he said with a small shrug.

"So what did you do after...?" Ino asked rather suggestively, while trying to remain sweet and innocent in her questions.

"Ino..." he paused, giving her a weird look. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were flirting."

"Don't be stupid, Shika."

Giggling slightly, feeling a bit uncomfortable at the thought of flirting with her best friend, she raised an eyebrow at him. She had always been clinging to him since they were little, in a best friend kind of way; she wasn't interested in him like that. "We both know better than that."

"Yeah..." he mumbled, staring at her for a bit longer before looking away again. He was feeling a bit awkward and nervous and he wasn't sure why. There was just so much going on and he still hadn't sorted out anything and it was aggravating him and he couldn't figure out _that_ either.

"Sorry, I just..." he frowned a little, glancing at her again and before he could think he leaned over and pressed a kiss to her mouth.

Eyes widening considerably as Shikamaru leaned over and kissed her. And they weren't just anywhere either, but in the middle of the street! She only thought _what the hell?!_ before, quite forcefully, pushing him away.

"What the hell, Shika? What was that about?" She screeched, not happy with the turn of events, hitting him none too gently on the head in anger. Damn him, he had probably ruined lots of her chances of getting a boyfriend now if everyone thought they were together.

Shikamaru scowled, rubbing the place of impact before he let his hand drop, not caring that his head was throbbing a little. He sighed and shook his head.

"I... Sorry," he said, not quite looking at her. "I'm just... really confused about something right now."

"See, told you something was bothering you," Ino replied smugly, forgetting she was supposed to be mad at him, but she didn't cling to him again as she had done previously. Not after he had kissed her; ew. It was as if a brother had kissed her, and she had found it pretty revolting. Grabbing his arm, she pulled him along to his house, deciding to have this conversation in his room, not on the street.

"Now, spill!" she turned to glare at him, her hands on her hips once she had locked the door behind them, pushing Shika to sit on his bed.

Shikamaru looked up at her and supposed he shouldn't be as surprised as he was at her actions. He sighed and glanced down to the floor, frowning and rubbing the back of his neck.

"I... think I might be gay."

Ino blinked. And blinked again. Then she sighed and sat down beside him, an amused smile on her lips.

"That's hardly a surprise Shika," she teased softly, trying to make him feel a little more at ease with it. "I'd figured you were at least bi ages ago, nothing wrong with that."

Unless you were Uchiha Sasuke, she thought to herself. If Sasuke turned out gay, she'd definitely have some angry screaming to do.

Shikamaru looked back at her, a waning smile on. "Well, there's... nothing _wrong_ with it," he said. "It doesn't really matter; just... it's not what I expected." There goes that average and unexciting life he'd wanted.

"Well..." Ino thought a bit. "Then find yourself an average guy, and adopt two average kids," she sighed at the thought.

"Won't be much fun though, you know." She looked at him unimpressed. "What's the point of marrying someone average, boring, that you're probably not much interested in anyway?"

Shikamaru let out another sigh and shook his head. "It doesn't really matter, as long as they're not annoying," he said, lips twitching a little into a small smirk.

Of course this wasn't helping his real problem, but at least he knew he had Ino's support for... whatever.

"There are lots of non-average people out there who aren’t annoying," Ino chuckled before giving her best friend a hug. Sure, she wanted to find out about this Neji-affair or whatever it was, but her best friend had just told her he thought he was gay, so of course, she'd encourage him.

Shikamaru smiled and returned the hug, glad that she was fine with it and that she wasn't still mad about the kiss. He felt bad, seeing as it was probably her first, too. He frowned a little again, hoping the he hadn't stolen Neji's first as well, though was almost certain he had.

"So..." Ino giggled, pulling back. "What would your type of guy look like?" she asked, curious, biting her lower lip a little. Who would have thought she'd have this kind of talk with her best friend; ever? It was funny, comical almost, but at the same time, this meant they could be talking about cute guys without her feeling she was embarrassing or bothering him. Too much.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes before giving up half way and just looking at the ceiling. He glancing down at Ino again and shook his head, fighting off a blush. "Just because I might be gay, doesn't mean I'm going to act like a girl, Ino."

"Oh, I know that silly," Ino giggled at the thought of Shikamaru discussing fashion and make-up with her; a ridiculous thought. "But you know, you've got to know some things that attract you more than other things. Besides, if I know what you're looking for, I could help." She grinned at the thought of setting him up with someone on a blind date.

"I... don't know. Not sure," he said, glancing down at his bedspread. Right now, the only one who came to mind was Neji (of course) but... while, yes, the other was quite good looking, the same traits could be found in many others around the village and he didn't find them nearly as attractive. Sasuke for example, though if he said that, he was sure Ino would hit him again.

"Okay, let's eliminate some people then from the list of your possible future boyfriends," she grinned.

"Chouji?" she asked first. Well, despite his chubby-ness, it did make sense. Other than her, he was Shikamaru's best friend, and he had, after all, kissed her.

Shikamaru shook his head, smirking a little. "I'm comfortable with him, but not that comfortable," he said. "Besides, he's one of the straightest guys I know." Of course he didn't mention the crush he'd always had on Ino; that was a secret between best buds.

"Hmm, I guess we can easily exclude Naruto and Kiba," she grinned. Those two were some of the most troublesome ninja she knew, if she were to use Shikamaru's way of describing people. Of course, she was avoiding the one she wanted to ask about to lull Shikamaru into a sense of security before his name was brought up.

"Sasuke?" She asked, before she corrected herself. "No, he'd be too troublesome for you. Besides you'd have to compete with me and all the other girls in the village for him," she grinned. "It'd be troublesome, right?"

Shikamaru gave a snort, shaking his head again. "Ino, you know my opinion on Sasuke," he said. "He's a good shinobi, but that's about it." Just thinking about the Uchiha was giving him a headache, really.

"Hmm, Shino?" Ino asked, this time really curious. The Aburame was kind of mysterious with the way he acted and dressed. It was kind of hot... If you ignored the fact you'd never really seen all of his face, never mind his eyes, and, well, she hated bugs. Hated them a lot. But Shikamaru had never been bothered with bugs, so maybe...

Shikamaru paused for a bit before shaking his head yet again. "No... He's nice enough and I don't really have anything bad to say about him, but I doubt we'd get along like that. He's too much of a recluse like me for anything to come of it."

That meant that team Kurenai, Kakashi and Asuma was out of the question... Ino smirked to herself. It was becoming more and more obvious who Shikamaru liked. Having heard him talk now so... freely about other guys and actually giving it thought, she doubted they were together but she was damn sure they were interested in each other.

"Lee?" she asked, repressing her mirth. While Lee was a nice guy, she just couldn't picture him like... _that_. Besides, he had Sakura, or was at least starting to get somewhere in courting her, though her pink-haired friend-slash-rival was still resisting.

Shikamaru stared at her for a good long while before just deadpanning, "...Do you _want_ me to kill myself? Because, hell, he's a nice guy but I know if I spend more time than I need to with him, I'll be asking Gaara to 'Sand Coffin' me next time I see him. Hell, I'd look for him and you know I don't do anything I don't have to."

"Gaara then?" Ino asked, finding this very amusing. Shikamaru seemed to have a _very_ selective taste in guys. Oh yeah... next time she wanted to make Shikamaru do something for her that he didn't particularly want, she'd just threaten to set him up with Lee.

Shikamaru sighed and shook his head. "Psychopaths, reformed or not, don't interest me," he said.

"I just don't really like anyone," he added before flopping back on his bed and turning onto his side, back facing the blonde. "I don't need to be dating anyone, you know."

"Sure you don't." Ino smiled sweetly at him. "Doesn't mean it wouldn’t be fun to try, though." She grinned before continuing.

"How about any of the sensei’s?" She asked, giving him an amused smile. "Asuma?"

Shikamaru glanced over his shoulder at her then said, "You're an idiot," before grabbing his pillow and then proceeding to put it over his head to block her out.

Giggling, Ino grabbed the pillow from him.

"Aww, come on, I was joking... Kakashi-san? Iruka-sensei? Gai-san?" She shook with mirth. "Oh god, if you fancy Gai-san, I'll commit hara-kiri," she giggled almost hysterically at the thought.

Shikamaru half-heartedly glared at her before sighing and rolling onto his back, side now close enough to touch Ino's knee.

"If I'm ever going to date someone, they're not going to be close to my dad's age, Ino." Although he had to admit that Kakashi was good looking but just... no.

"Alright then... how about Neji?" Ino let the trap spring, hoping she was going to get a good response, trying to look as innocent as possible, as if it was pure coincidence she was bringing his name up. But this was the name she had wanted to bring up all day; he'd better give her something good to go on.

Shikamaru stared at her for a second before glancing away. "...no," he said, voice more subdued as he rolled over again on his side. "We wouldn't be compatible either." More for the fact that he's probably pissed at me, he thought.

Oh yes, that was a reaction if she ever saw one. However, she was a little worried about his... behavior, almost sounding depressed about it.

"Oh, come on Shika... when did _you_ turn that pessimistic?" she asked, now very worried as she hugged him from behind. Shikamaru just... wasn't a pessimist, not like that. Sure, he sometimes assumed the outcome would be bad, and was negative to most things, but not depressed. He was never negative towards things without trying to calculate other possibilities. "What makes you say that?"

Shikamaru sighed, body closing it on itself a little in subconscious defense. "Nothing, we just wouldn't be," he said, lying through his teeth. "I don't think he could stand having me around anyway," he added with a chuckle, "I just interrupt his training."

"Oh come on Shika,” she repeated. “You've gotten to watch him train several times while he brushed _me_ and Cho off just like that. He's got to be gay. And since he lets you watch, he's got to like you; at least a little bit," she reasoned, now seriously worried about her friend. If Neji had done, or said, something to hurt her friend, she was going to... well, she didn't know what she was going to, but the Hyuuga would pay dearly, so there!

Shikamaru glanced at her from the corner of his eye, a minute blush dusting his cheeks. "Maybe, but even if he did before, I doubt he does now."

"Why?" Ino challenged him, spotting the blush covering her normally unfazed friend's cheeks. Well, well, this was certainly something alright. So now she was certain that Shikamaru was definitely interested in the sexy Hyuuga, but for some reason he didn't think he had a chance.

"You know, if he doesn't like you he's stupid," she smiled a bit at him. "And not a genius as they claim."

Shikamaru gave a small smile, grateful to the girl for being a good friend. But it quickly slipped to neutral again and he glanced away. "I'm no genius either," he said.

Ino scoffed at that, if she'd ever heard a bunch of bullshit before, this was it.

"Bullshit!" she replied, softer than she wanted to. "You're clearly the smartest around, even smarter than a few, if not all, the Jounins."

Shikamaru sighed and sat up, extracting himself from her grip. He turned to face her, sitting back against the wall, slumping forward.

"Ino, I... I _kissed_ him," he explained. "And I'm pretty sure he didn't like it."

"You kissed him?" Ino's eyes widened in shock as her friend slumped back against the wall.

"And? What did he do? Did he slap you? Hit you? Shout at you?" she asked skeptically, not quite believing he had done any of that. Except for a small cut on his cheek, Shikamaru looked fine to her.

Shikamaru shook his head. "He didn't do anything. He froze and just stared and..." He shook his head again, this time more to clear his head. "I didn't want to see his real reaction so I left. Then you found me."

"But he didn't push you away like I did," Ino stated, rather satisfied. Now, what guy wouldn't be surprised, shocked, by getting kissed by another guy? Even if you were gay, she assumed that would be pretty rare unless you had a boyfriend-slash-lover or you were very open about it.

"Shika... that's not the worst reaction," she tried reassuring him. Not even she knew what Neji would think about being kissed by another guy. From what Tenten had said, Neji should have liked it, but still, she didn't personally know the Hyuuga, so what did she know?

"...I guess," he said, still doubtful. "But it was still a stupid thing to do on my part." And he really didn't want to be around Neji, afraid that his kunai really wouldn't miss next time he saw him.

"We all do stupid things sometimes," Ino smiled, not liking this depressing part of Shikamaru. She'd rather have him complain about how troublesome everyone else where or something trivial like that.

"Sometimes they pay off, and other times... oh I know!" she clapped her hands together before getting up from bed.

"Come on; let's forget about this for now. I want to bake that cake you like so much with you before your okaa-san returns," she grinned, hauling him off to the kitchen.

Despite all his complaints when she did this, she knew he loved that cake she had in mind; it was a recipe she had gotten from Yoshino herself. The woman was obviously hoping for her to get together with Shikamaru, which wouldn't happen, but she knew Shikamaru loved his mother's cakes. Hopefully this would cheer him up a little.

Shikamaru sighed and gave a small pout, not bothering to resist her. The cake actually sounded like a good idea right now. He wasn't one to eat when down, but sometimes it really did help.

"As long as I don't have to do much," he said, easily falling back into his normal mood again.

"Che," Ino grinned at him, happy to see the old Shikamaru back. "As if I expected that from you. Just help me find the ingredients!"

\--

About an hour later, Ino opened the stove to take the cake out, putting it on the counter to cool a bit before she started putting on the icing.

"There," she smiled, satisfied with her and Shikamaru's work.

Shikamaru smirked and reached over, swiping a finger over the cake and gathering some icing. He sucked his finger, knowing that Ino hated when he messed it up before they actually cut the cake.

"Hey!" she cried, slapping his hand lightly, although she was happy to see him act like himself again. She just knew that the cake would help. It always did.

"No touching the cake yet," she huffed before finding a knife to cut it into pieces with.

"Yes, ma'am," he said, teasing, with a chuckle. Of course he wouldn't try anything once she had the knife, even if he knew she wouldn't hurt him. She was creative with threats either way.

Cutting it into pieces, Ino put two pieces of the cake on two plates, handing one of them to Shikamaru.

"There; now you can wipe off all the icing for all I care," she grinned, using a spoon to attack her own piece with.

Shikamaru shook his head, grinning a little. "Now it's no fun," he said, digging into his own piece. He savored the first bite, obviously something he had picked up from his friendship with Chouji.

Grinning to herself, Ino enjoyed the comfortable silence that had settled between them as they ate cake.


	6. Chapter 6

After Shikamaru had fled the scene so to speak, Neji was still sitting unmoving in the field, gazing into nothingness. After about an hour or so of just sitting there, repeating the scene over and over in his head, Neji got to his feet, that, he noticed, were a little shaky. Not sure what it all meant, but refusing to let himself get ruffled by it (more than he had already been), Neji walked back to his apartment, determined not to let it bother him.

Lee had dodged his hospital visit and was hobbling around the village, trying to build up his stamina when he spotted his teammate. A bright grin spread across his face and he started waving, stopping in place.

"Konnichiwa, Neji-kun! It is a wonderful day, is it not?" he greeted, before moving over to him as quickly as he could.

"Hn," Neji just replied, not greeting him properly like he used to do, his mind still on what had happened earlier. Not even the flowery talk of his teammate seemed to bring him out of it, despite his earlier determination not to let it get to him. But seriously, Neji was lost. What did that kiss mean? You didn't kiss your friends like that... did you?

Lee titled his head a little in confusion. Obviously something was bothering his friend, so he had to figure out what.

"Is something troubling you, Neji-kun?" he asked. He would challenge himself again later, this was obviously more important, if his friend was being so Un-Youthful!

"No," Neji shook his head. Nothing was wrong, except... he had just received his first kiss from his only self-made friend. No, absolutely nothing was wrong. Except, he didn't know how to deal with that. At all. And he wasn't one to go to someone for advice, much less Lee. Lee was as far from the real world you could get. Not that Neji hadn't grown a little fond of Lee, but... he wasn't the type he would go to for advice.

Lee frowned a little. "You must not be so down, my friend! It is not Youthful to be so saddened! You must express yourself, Neji-kun!" he exclaimed, grinning again at the end.

Sending his team-mate an annoyed glare, Neji clearly conveyed that he was not in the mood for any flowery, Youthful or otherwise, talk. Of course, he didn't expect Lee to pick up on signals like that. Gai-sensei and Lee were as un-subtle as possible, much unlike the Hyuuga.

Lee was quite used to his teammate’s glares by now, now more worried than before. If something really wasn't bothering the Hyuuga he was sure he'd be told off by now and not just given the silent treatment.

"Are you sure nothing is bothering you?" he asked again, a little more subdued than before.

Looking over at his... well, friend, he supposed, Neji was actually surprised that he actually had dropped his usual way of talking. Not that it was a bad thing, just... surprising. And a sign that Lee seemed to be genuinely worried. About him? Why would Lee be worried about him? It wasn't like they were close or saw each other much outside training.

"Not here," Neji just replied. If Lee could lay off his flowery speech, maybe... well, he obviously needed to talk to someone, and Tenten and Gai were out of the question. And just the thought of coming running to his uncle to tell him another boy had kissed him... well, that was ridiculous. But he was not going to tell anyone anything in the middle of a rather busy street.

Lee quickly nodded and, with a grin, tugged on the other's wrist, prompting him to follow, and started off towards the Hyuuga's apartment. He was sure he'd be more comfortable talking in his own place and anything that helped him open up was worth trying.

He stopped in front of the entrance door and let him go so he could open the door for them, trying his hardest to contain his anticipation.

Sighing, Neji followed him. It seemed that even though Lee had dropped the annoying and rather stupid sounding speech of his, he was still the same, bouncing, energetic fool as always. Maybe he had made a mistake when deciding to try to confide in him.

Another sigh leaving him, Neji fished his keys from his sleeves before unlocking the door, letting them in. Come to think of it... this was the first time Lee was in his apartment. Neji started fearing a little for his furniture; was it strong enough to handle Lee should he get a bit over-excited about something? Probably not.

Lee glanced around the apartment, wanting to memorize how his friend and rival lived. He walked further in and started to inspect everything more closely before remembering why he was actually here.

He straightened up as best he could with his crutch and turned to look at Neji with a small grin. "So what is bothering you, my rival?"

Sitting down by the table, Neji gestured for Lee to sit as well, sighing. He might just get a headache from dealing with this. Now, waiting for Lee to sit down, Neji found he had no clue where to start, or what to say. It was awkward, to say the least, and a Hyuuga was never awkward.

Lee quickly sit down, bending one leg and letting his bandaged one lay straight, giving the Hyuuga his full attention. Which probably made it more awkward; having his large eyes glued to the other, but Lee had no such etiquette.

Twitching silently at the way Lee sat at the table - did he mention just how horrible that looked with Lee wearing a green spandex-suit? - Neji just stared back for a while, trying to gather his thoughts.

"Ah... Lee?" he asked, feeling very uncomfortable with this talk. "Have you ever been... kissed?"

Lee's eyes grew impossibly wider and he shook his head, flushing just slightly. He had not yet won over his Cherry Blossom and no one but her would do for that! He was about to explain that before he thought better of it and kept silent.

Nodding as he understood. He knew of Lee's affection for the younger, pink-haired kunoichi, as much as he disliked her, but he was not going to butt into his teammate's love affairs, it wasn't something he really was interested in.

"Well..." he blushed faintly, not quite knowing what to say next.

Lee stared at him for a second before perking up, realization dawning on him, mouth opening in a small 'o'.

"Have you had your first kiss, Neji-kun?"

Well, perhaps Lee could show a faint hint of perceptiveness every now and then, but only a hint. Cheeks coloring a bit more, he looked away from his team-mate. Then, with a small sigh, he gave a small nod.

Lee started trembling a little, a wavering grin growing on his face. "This is a most joyous occasion, Neji-kun!" he exclaimed, tears starting to stream down his face. "Who has captured my rival's heart?!"

He gasped, bringing a hand up and clenching it into a fist. "We must tell Gai-sensei and celebrate!" he yelled, the leg in the cast moving, hitting the table and tipping it away from him and towards Neji.

Just managing to block the table, Neji grit his teeth in annoyance as he leaned over. And hit Lee on the head before sitting down again, putting the table back in place. Lee better not have managed to give it some damage.

"No one," he replied harshly, closing his eyes as he crossed his arms in annoyance, glaring at Lee, promising if he didn't stop with the flowers and sparkles, he'd be kicked out in less than three seconds.

Lee whimpered softly, tears clearing up as he rubbed his head. He settled down again and clasped his hands onto his good leg, leaning forward a little.

"I do not understand," he said, looking confused. "If you do not love them, why did you kiss them? A kiss is to be shared between those who care for each other!"

"I didn't kiss anyone!" Neji tried to clarify what had happened. Hell, if Lee didn't understand how would he? But... if what Lee said was true, did that mean the Nara cared for him? But, he frowned, friends didn't kiss each other, and why would another guy want to kiss him?

Lee blinked, now looking even more confused. "But... you said you got your first kiss! Neji, what happened?"

Sighing, Neji glared at his teammate. He really was dense, and it seemed that Neji, no matter how embarrassing it was, had to spell it out for him.

"Someone kissed me," he said shortly, not telling him who or anything more than he had to, giving him an extra glare, daring him to make fun of the fact that he, Hyuuga Neji, had let someone get close enough to kiss him, as if he was completely defenseless.

Lee stared at the other for a few seconds before frowning a little, starting to be put off. "Did you not enjoy it?" he asked.

"I..." Neji spluttered, turning a light shade of red as he tried glaring at the other. However, a flustered, blushing Neji glaring was not very effective.

"How would I know?" he asked in the end, feeling rather annoyed. "I was shocked." Oh god... he hadn't thought of that before now; had he enjoyed the kiss? Well, it hadn't been totally unpleasant, but... why was he even thinking about this?

"But that's not the problem," he added, trying to cover over his initial reaction to Lee's question, pulling himself together.

Lee opened his mouth to respond, pausing as Neji added his last comment. He tilted his head slightly, leaning back again so he was sitting up straight.

"Then... what is the problem?"

Neji looked away from Lee, focusing on the clouds outside. Shikamaru liked watching those clouds, didn't he? His brain brought him a mental picture of Shikamaru cloud-gazing while he trained. No, why was he thinking about him again? Neji felt the need to bang his head hard against something.

"...it wasn't a girl," he said softly in the end, knowing Lee was still waiting for an answer.

Lee waited as patiently as he could, eyes widening when he finally got an answer. He stayed silent, thinking to himself before starting to speak with his head bowed, looking at his lap, "I can understand why you would be surprised, Neji-kun, but I do not see a problem."

He looked up, smiling widely, but for once not showing his teeth with a grin. "I think that Love knows no bounds and should be free to be expressed, no matter the gender. If it is something you like, or would like, I think you should go for it!" he finished with a thumbs up, now showing his usual grin.

Neji blinked. And blinked again before turning to stare at Lee. And he stared for a long time. Lee wasn't... surprised? Or confused?

"T-two guys can like each other... like that?" he asked, confused. Nothing made sense anymore to him, making him almost forget to act like a proper Hyuuga should. B-but..? Guys were supposed to like girls, not... not other guys, right?

Lee’s smile dropped a little and he put his hand down, eyebrows furrowing. "If two people care for each other and share their joy, why should it matter what gender they are? Are the feelings not there to embrace either way?"

Neji frowned a little, trying to wrap his mind around this new concept.

"I... I had no idea," he murmured, covering his mouth with a hand. And well, what Lee was saying did actually make sense for once, but...

"Anyway," he said, straightening his back a little, remembering to act a little more like himself. "I don't think of him like that, and even if I did, there's nothing to 'embrace'," he said, using Lee's own word.

Lee was disappointed that there was nothing to rejoice about now but he just nodded. "If you do not feel anything for him, you should probably tell him so," he suggested, smiling a little sadly. "While it may hurt him, it is always easiest if you know where you stand in a relationship, romantic or not."

"What I think does not matter." Neji glared at his team-mate. "I think he was just messing with me." He closed his eyes a little. Damn, he was truly getting a head-ache from this. After all, Shikamaru had just left after he had kissed him, not even waiting to see his reaction. He frowned to himself. He didn't even know why Shikamaru had kissed him in the first place.

"Why would you think that?" Lee asked, shocked. It would not be Youthful if someone did that! Lee really was curious as to who had kissed his teammate but he was trying to pry as little as possible, knowing the other was uncomfortable.

Neji was about to reply before frowning, changing his mind.

"It doesn't matter!" He snapped. "It's none of your business!" And with those words, Lee was thrown out of Neji's apartment.

Lee blinked at the door, face not more than an inch from it, not sure if he'd even seen Neji move that fast in training. He frowned then clenched his fist, eyes shining in determination.

If he did not find a way to put Neji's mind at ease, he would run one thousand laps around Konoha! Backwards!

…Once he was able to.

Clenching his fists once the door was closed, the faint blush was still present in Neji's cheeks. Why had he said all that to Lee? Maybe he was coming down with something, he decided, stalking into the kitchen to take some vitamins. If he was catching a cold or something, he could at least do something to try and prevent it.

\--

In the meantime, Ino had left Shikamaru and was currently heading towards Tenten's home. This was certainly something she would have to share with the older girl. Stopping in front of her apartment, Ino hesitated only a few seconds before she rang the door-bell, hearing it faintly through the door.

Tenten looked up from where she was polishing and sharpening some of her weapons at the doorbell. She stood up and brushed herself off before walking over to the door, peering out the peep-hole, then unlocking and opening the door.

She looked a little bit confused as she asked, "Did you want something, Ino?"

"Well, yeah, actually." Ino smiled up at the older girl, peeking in slightly curious how her place looked. "Can I come in? It's about you-know-what."

Well, okay, she had to admit that maybe it wasn't very nice to Shikamaru to tell Tenten about what he had told her, but at the same time, she wanted to help her friend and if she had to tell Tenten to make that happen, then so be it. It was all for his own (and Neji's) good.

Tenten quickly nodded and stepped back to give her room to walk in. Her apartment was very plain compared to Ino's house; very utilitarian. She didn't need all that extra stuff that the Yamanaka liked and it would only distract her in being as great a kunoichi as the legendary Tsunade.

"Well, you see, I got some very interesting news today," Ino smirked at her, inwardly frowning a little at how little decorations there were on the walls and how... empty... the apartment seemed. She didn't mention it though, after all, that's not what she was there for. Right now, she had something much more interesting to do.

"Oh?" Tenten asked, raising a questioning eyebrow. It had only been a day and a half, how much could she have learned? "What is it?"

"Yeah," Ino smirked, delighted that it seemed Tenten hadn't even managed to worm anything about it from Neji yet. Oh, how she loved to be the first to know about new gossip!

"You see, I talked to Shikamaru today... and it seems that this morning, after he had trained with Chouji and Asuma..." she proceeded telling Tenten about how Shika had kissed Neji, and left without waiting for his reaction. Of course, she left out that he had kissed her to make sure he was gay, and some of his reactions later. She wasn't going to tell how depressed he had been unless it was necessary. Necessary for his own happiness, that is.

Tenten's eyes widened and she glanced down slightly, thinking to herself. If the Nara hadn't stayed there afterwards and there really hadn't been anything between them before...

She winced slightly, frowning. "...I wonder how Neji took that," she murmured, knowing that whatever his reaction was, it wouldn't be a perfectly positive one. They needed to find him and do some damage control.

"Well, yeah..." Ino laughed a bit nervously. She knew that the Hyuuga was a bit... uptight about things, which probably included kissing. There was no way to say what the older boy's reaction was. "That’s kinda the problem. Shikamaru was... worried." Well, that was the understatement of the year.

Tenten sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, I guess we should go see what's going on with Neji, then," she said, starting out of her place, heading towards Neji's apartment.

She spotted Lee heading their way and inwardly winced, hoping that he wouldn't distract and talk to them too much-- they had to get to Neji. She blinked and stopped walking, glancing behind her as he just continued walking, not saying a word to them.

That was... weird.

She frowned and turned around before calling out, "Lee!"

He just kept walking, forehead creased in thought.

"Lee!" Tenten yelled, jogging over and grabbing his shoulder. "Lee, are you okay?"

"Huh?" Lee turned his head, pausing in his step. "Ah, uh, sumimasen, Tenten!" He pulled away, making an awkward bow, especially with him still using the crutch as support. "I was not paying attention. Did you need something?"

Tenten shook her head, smiling slightly. "No, you just seemed... worried about something?"

"Ah!" Lee's eyes widened slightly and he nodded. "Yes! Something is bothering our dear teammate and I must figure it out!"

Tenten sighed and glanced back at Ino, frowning slightly.

Watching Tenten and her teammate as Tenten had to basically force him into communication, Ino started to get very worried. Was Neji going to break Shikamaru's heart? It certainly started to seem like it.

"Uh, well... we were just going to discuss something with him," Tenten said, looking back at him. "You... have you talked with him?"

Lee nodded, facial expressions warring between being happy and worried. "Neji-kun has received his first kiss and is... disturbed? Confused?" He shook his head, still not understanding.

"Y-yeah," Tenten murmured. "I know..."

"What did Neji say?" Ino interrupted the two teammates, getting up into Lee's personal space, anxious to hear what exactly had been the enigmatic brunette's reaction. She was going to find out, even if she had to be a bit forceful.

Lee blinked, looking down at the younger girl before turning his gaze to Tenten. He didn't want to betray Neji's trust, as small as it was, but...

Tenten nodded. "It... Ah, it was her teammate who kissed Neji," she explained.

His eyes widened and he looked back at Ino before sighing. "Neji did not know that two men could feel for each other that way. He said he did not think of him that way."

Ino's eyes widened before they narrowed dangerously. Oh yeah, if Neji dared hurt Shikamaru, she'd definitely have to do some damage on the stoic Hyuuga. Letting go of Lee, she put some more space between them. Now, what did she do? It wasn't possible for her to really change people's feelings, and she was aware she couldn't threaten Neji into something. So all that was left was scheming, and hoping luck was on her, and Shikamaru's, side.

"But-- but, Neji-kun just seemed to be very confused," Lee hastily added once seeing Ino's expression darken. "He was flustered about it and... I do not think I helped that."

Tenten sighed, giving him a slight smile. "He knows you only have good intentions, Lee. Don't worry about that."

"So... like... is this Neji's first experience when it comes to kissing and stuff?" Ino asked, feeling confused. To her, Neji sounded like he was in... denial. If that was the situation, this could be fun.

Both of the teammates just nodded, Lee looking a little relieved.

"Yeah," Tenten started. "Neji has been... really sheltered all his life. He doesn't think about relationships or any of that."

"Well..." Ino's grin gained a hint of wickedness in it. "Then perhaps it's time to do something about that, don't you think?" If Neji had been flustered when he told Lee about it... thinking about what Lee had told them... yes, it should be possible to make him and Shikamaru a couple. Hopefully without either of the two boys noticing them plotting and well, guiding them, from the shadows.

Tenten smirked lightly and nodded. "He needs to be more open anyway," she added.

Lee just looked confused but nodded anyway. If it would help his friend feel better, he'd do whatever he could.

"So, what way do you think we should do this? Since you guys know Neji best, I mean," Ino asked the two, a little amused at Lee's confusion. He probably didn't know what was going on, but now it was too late. He was in on it whether he liked it or not.

Tenten frowned slightly in thought. "...maybe set them up somehow?" she suggested, though not sure how to go about it.

"That might just work," Ino nodded in approval. "Shikamaru wouldn't go near Neji of his own free will as things are now. He is a coward after all..." she mused. Now where and how? It couldn't be somewhere too shabby or casual, or somewhere too romantic as much as she loved that thought. That just wouldn't be the boys' style, she guessed.

Tenten bit her lip, trying to think. The easiest way would be a restaurant, but... Ichiraku was way too... lowly for Neji, as were the dango and tea stands.

"What about that place your team is always at?" Lee suggested. "Yakiniku Q?"

"Hmm, that might work..." Ino nodded. They had good food there too, which might be a plus if Shikamaru and Neji could enjoy a good meal while clearing things up them between.

"It's not too... common for Neji?" She asked Tenten, hoping it was something Neji would go for. If she asked Shikamaru out to a real fancy place... well, he'd know something was up.

Tenten slowly shook her head. "He'll be reluctant and might complain, but I think that'll be fine."

"Good." Ino grinned. "So... eleven-thirty tomorrow? Lunch? Table… three? I'll take care of Shikamaru and you'll make sure Neji gets there?" She asked, knowing that Yoshino would have harassed her lazy son to be up before then, and that he'd still be a bit tired, making her task easier, especially when it came to not having Shikamaru sense that something was up before it was too late.

Tenten nodded, grinning as well, though it was much more subdued than the other girl's.

Lee nodded, giving a thumbs up. "We will make sure that Neji-kun shows up, or I will do two-thousand push-ups!"

And for once, Ino didn't feel bothered by Lee's display of weirdness. No, that was exactly the spirit needed to get their two friends together.


	7. Chapter 7

Shikamaru hid under his blankets, wrapped up like in a cocoon, trying to his best to block out his mother's screeching and pounding. He just didn't feel like moving today, was that such a crime?

After a while, Yoshino's screaming stopped, and some conversational sounds could be heard downstairs. Three minutes later, the door to Shikamaru's room slammed open before Ino strode in, having no sense of privacy. Not when her best friend's happiness was on the line.

Shikamaru jerked awake, having nodded off again during the three-minute lull in noise, and peeked his head out from under the covers, sleepily glaring at Ino.

"What?" he asked, voice still scratchy from sleep.

"Get up!" Ino ordered, smiling brightly and sweetly at her friend. "We're going to have lunch with Chouji at Yakiniku Q. So get dressed and proper and we'll go," she told him almost chirping before she pulled the blankets off him.

Shikamaru groaned, rolling onto his stomach and putting the pillow over his head before saying something, voice muffled completely.

"I didn't hear you!" Ino pulled the pillow away from him as well.

"It's a lovely day out, so you better get up. Can't stand Chouji up, now can we? Come on... for god’s sake, Shika, have some decency and get dressed. It's not decent to be dressed in only your boxers in front of a woman!" she half-scolded.

Shikamaru heaved a sigh and rolled back over, sitting up and slumping over. He scratched the back of his head, glaring at the girl.

"I don't see any women around here; just an annoying, troublesome _girl_ ," he said, obviously cranky from sleep still.

"Well, then girls," Ino rolled her eyes, yet refused to let Shikamaru's crankiness affect her mood (not that she wasn't used to it, Yoshino had her wake her son quite a few times through the years). Hopefully everything would go according to plan, and she was just too excited to snap back at him and be childish like she had used to do.

"Just get dressed," she told him, throwing his clothes at him, hoping they were clean. You never knew in the young Nara's room.

Shikamaru just sat there, a shirt over his head before he decided he really didn't want to be hit. And if Chouji really was waiting for them, he couldn't just stand up his best friend.

He sighed and pulled the shirt off, looking at Ino. "Fine, fine. Just wait out there."

"Good!" Ino beamed at him. Oh yeah, she had learned a thing or two about getting her best friend up from bed over the years. Walking out of the room, she let him have the privacy to get changed.

Tempted to once again just go back to sleep, Shikamaru just sat there for a couple minutes before sliding off the bed and getting dressed.

About twenty minutes from when Ino had left, he came out of his room, covering his mouth in a yawn.

"You sure know how to take your sweet time," Ino teased him lightly from where she was standing.

"It's not very nice to let your friend wait that long, you know," she gave him a small wink, before looking him over. Proper clothes that were clean and wouldn't make Neji wrinkle his nose in disgust? Check. Hair set up like usual, not messy? Check. Acceptable deodorant? She leaned in a little to smell him. Check that too.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, looking at her suspiciously. He scowled a little and shrugged his shoulders.

"Whatever. Let's just get going."

Nodding as he seemed ready to go, Ino grabbed his wrist and pulled him with her towards their usual place. Obviously, Chouji was not waiting for them, and she wouldn't be staying. Looking over at Shikamaru, she found herself thinking that he actually looked better with his hair down. Hmm, but that something could be done about that later. Looking at her watch, she was glad to see that they still had ten minutes before Neji would show up.

Shikamaru stumbled at first before catching his footing and following after her. He inwardly sighed, feeling more like his father than ever; at least he knew that he and Ino would never actually be together, but it was a small comfort.

Walking into the barbecue, Ino sat down at table three like planned, looking around surprised. Well, she wasn't really, but she was damn good at pretending to be. At least she thought so.

"Chouji's not here yet?" she asked, pouting. "Gee, I wonder if he's sick or something, Cho never misses a chance to eat." Looking around, she sighed.

"Wait here, I'll go look for him." And with that, she got up and yanked the hair-tie out of Shikamaru's hair before she ran to supposedly look for their friend and teammate.

Shikamaru blinked as his hair fell to frame his face, sitting up straight and turning around. "H-hey, Ino! You--" he cut off, knowing she wasn't going to just come back, and made a disgruntled noise. He slumped back in the seat, crossing his arms over his chest.

If she wasn't back in five minutes, he was leaving.

About three minutes later, Neji walked into the barbecue, looking around. He'd never been to this place before, even though he’d heard it was nice. He supposed he just wasn't used to barbecue food; his clan would certainly never do something as lowly as hold a barbecue. Sighing when he didn't catch a glimpse of his friends, he walked over to the table that Tenten had mentioned, startled when he saw someone sitting there already. Oh well, must be someone else Tenten or Lee had invited.

His eyes widened when he sat down opposite of the other, getting a better look of him, and saw who it was. It was all he could not to splutter or curse, so he wisely held his tongue until he actually could speak.

Shikamaru's eyes widened as Neji sat down, wondering what he was doing there and chose to sit... _here_.

He flushed lightly and stiffened, feeling his insides twist a little when the other boy had no different of a reaction. He swallowed in nervousness, glancing away, not sure if he should say something or if he should just leave.

...Oh, he was going to _kill_ Ino.

Before either of the party could leave, or say anything, one of the waitresses came over to them, smiling cheerfully.

"Ready to order?" she asked sweetly, eyeing them both as if they were eye-candy. Of course, Ino was one of her friends, not a close one, but still a friend, and she had explained that it would be only those two boys there to her, but the two boys were still pretty hot in the waitress' eyes.

Shikamaru looked over at the waitress, panic crossing his features for a second before he forced himself to calm down. He was a ninja and that meant, if anything, he could control his emotions.

"We'll, uh," he glanced shortly at Neji, hoping he wouldn't attack him too much later, "we'll share the family beef platter. And just ice water is fine for my drink." If only he could order sake...

"...Ice water, please," Neji said rather stiffly, a bit put out that Shikamaru had dared order for him, but he played indifferent as usual. It really was not a big deal, other then it made them seem closer than they really were. There was an awkward silence as the waitress jotted their orders down and departed, going to fetch their food and drinks.

Looking out the window, Neji was starting to see through his teammate's plan. Lee had obviously told Tenten everything he had said yesterday, and Tenten must have conjured up some plan to embarrass him further. Oh, they were so dead...

"So..." he started, still not looking at his companion, and his voice made it clear he was a bit grumpy after yesterday. “What was the big idea of that prank you pulled?"

Shikamaru glanced up, having been completely engrossed in studying the woodwork's patterns in the table (read: doing anything but looking at Neji).

"Prank? I didn't..." He paused, realizing what he meant. "Oh, um... I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... I mean, I-I hadn't... planned... to do that," he said, stumbling awkwardly over his words.

Eyes narrowing, Neji was about to say something when the waitress returned with their drinks and raw barbecue meat for them to grill. Waiting for her to leave, Neji was glaring at the other, feeling a slight blush taint his cheeks, which made his mood even worse.

"If it wasn't a prank, what was it?" he asked, putting the meat on the grill, using his chopsticks elegantly.

"Why did you kiss me?" he asked, lowering his voice, not wanting the people around to hear what he was saying.

Shikamaru blushed, fiddling slightly with his chopsticks as the meat started cooking with a sizzle.

"...I don't know," he said, looking back down at the table. He sighed, shaking his head. "No, I do," he murmured. "I guess... I didn't know it, but I've started to... really like you, Neji."

Obviously the Hyuuga deserved to know, but he still didn't think that telling him was the best idea. But he also knew that if Ino found out he'd missed this chance, she'd never leave him alone. Ever.

Feeling his blush deepen slightly, Neji just increased his glare, not letting up just yet. The Nara actually... liked him? It was impossible. Unheard of. Neji just couldn't believe it yet.

"...If this is some kind of sick joke, I swear you'll never regain the full use of your tenketsu!" he said coldly, not even taking a moment to consider why he was getting so riled up about this, or why he found it worth getting angry over.

Shikamaru shook his head, finally looking up again at the Hyuuga. "Do you think I'd really do that? This is as humiliating for me too, you know," he said, reaching out as calmly as he could to turn over the meat.

He didn't want to get any closer in case he followed through with his threat despite his admission.

Neji twitched slightly, looking embarrassed out of the window, hearing the uncooked side of the meat sizzle, readying the treat for them.

"So..." he coughed as he felt a bit awkward. "So you... like me?" he asked, trying to wrap his mind around that idea. He didn't know how to feel if that was true. How did you react if you found out another guy was... well, crushing on you?

Shikamaru's blush flared up again and he nodded.

"Y-yeah. I mean, you're a good ninja and, well, you're not that troublesome. I've had a good time hanging out with you. And the only other people I could say that about, I've known since we were in diapers."

"Oh..." Neji looked down, feeling a bit more embarrassed by his outbursts and threats earlier, which was reflected in a nice deepening of his blush. Reaching out with his chopsticks, he grabbed a piece of meat that looked ready and started chewing, pointedly not looking at his companion as another awkward silence settled between them.

Shikamaru relaxed a little when it didn't look like Neji was going to yell or attack him, waiting a little longer before gathering up a small portion of the food.

After eating four pieces of beef, he started chuckling to himself, shaking his head.

"What's so funny?" Neji narrowed his eyes, his gaze snapping up to the younger boy's face, feeling slightly suspicious again. Neji did not enjoy being made fun of. Ever. However, he had had time to think about this whole... thing... while they had been silent, and he had concluded that this thing about Shikamaru liking him... well, he didn't mind it, surprisingly enough.

Shikamaru stopped, blinking and looking at the other. He put his chopsticks down and smiled slightly.

"Nothing really. I was just thinking how different it is eating with Chouji. He grabs as much food as he can, as quickly as he can. And, well, you know me. Too much work to be quick and fight for food," he said, shrugging. "It's just nice."

"Oh..." Neji visibly relaxed a little, putting another piece of meat into his mouth. "I... see." Come to think of it, this was pretty nice and quiet. Nothing compared to going out with his own team; he shuddered at the thought. Both Lee and Gai, and especially together, made him want to go home and stay there for the rest of his life, claiming a permanent headache. At least when they weren't training; then those two could be a little silent and serious.

Shikamaru grew quiet again, just watching and observing Neji. He really was good looking; pale skin, dark, silky hair, and his eyes just blew him away sometimes. He blushed faintly when he realized he was staring and picked up his chopsticks again, reaching for more food as he silently berated himself for acting like just such a _girl_.

Noticing the other was staring at him, Neji smirked slightly to himself, several cheesy lines coming to mind, but he didn't voice any of them: it was far below his dignity, not to mention he doubted he could say any of those with a straight face. Instead he just settled for watching the other boy silently when he wasn't looking at him, making sure the other didn't know he was looking.

\--

About an hour later, they finished their meal and Shikamaru silently wondered where the waitress was. Why did they never show up when you wanted them to?

"So... Uhm..." Neji fumbled a bit with his words, which he just didn't do! Neji just didn't fumble with his words; ever! "Are you coming to cloud-gaze today?" he asked, looking away from the other, knowing that if he looked at him, his faint blush would deepen a lot.

Shikamaru looked back at him at the question. He smirked slowly, leaning forward a little so he could prop up his head on his hand.

"...Do you want me to?"

Looking at him from the corner of his eyes, Neji could feel his blush increase; damnit. It wasn't fair how that smirk seemed to mock him so.

"...Just wondering," he replied, sounding a little too defensive for his own liking.

"Mm, if you want me to, I will. I've really got nothing else planned today," he said, making it seem like an offhand comment. Well, he really wanted to strangle Ino, but that could wait until later.

Nodding, Neji was too embarrassed to say it out loud, but actually... he had missed the other's presence when he was training. It was much easier to admit it without voicing it, though.

Now where was that waitress? Neji needed a distraction from all this thinking and these strange thoughts that seemed to heap up in his head lately.

Shikamaru's smirk widened a little, glancing around after a bit. He sighed then scooted out of the booth, motioning for Neji to follow him. He wandered up to the front, looking for anyone that worked in the place.

Following him, Neji didn't know why he did. Well, they had finished eating, and talking he supposed, so it was only logical. But still, he didn't like doing what others told him to do.

"Yes?" The waitress that had served them came out from the staff-only room, cleaning her hands with a towel.

Shikamaru stopped and looked to the girl. "Put the bill on Yamanaka Ino's tab, will you?" he asked, trying his hardest to keep his face straight. It was the least the girl could do after putting him through this, despite that it had turned out well. At least... he hoped it had; they really hadn't concluded anything yet about where they stood.

Raising an eyebrow at him, the waitress hesitated a bit before doing as he said. Ino had never specified who was paying for all this, and she had been the one to order the table... The waitress smirked, Ino wasn't that close of a friend that she wouldn't do something like this to her.

"Come again," she smiled after them, silently checking out Neji's butt as the boys left.

Shikamaru nodded his thanks before they left, heading down the street towards the usual field. He ignored the stares he got-- no one but his family, the Yamanaka's, the Akimichi's, Neji, and Tenten for a brief minute had ever seen his hair down before, after all-- and glanced behind him before looking over to Neji and commented, "You know she was checking you out, right?"

"Wha--?" Neji's eyes widened slightly. No, he hadn't actually noticed that, not that he cared what the waitress was doing. However, he was soon showing a small smirk.

"Jealous?" he asked. Neji was considered a genius. Yes, it would take a while before he got comfortable and used to these new ideas that had been presented to him, but that didn't mean he would be slow learning the game.

Shikamaru faultered for a second before nonchalantly giving a shrug. "And if I was?" he asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.

Ah, he supposed he had more to learn before managing to catch Shikamaru totally off guard, but he was satisfied with the reaction. At least... he thought he was.

"Nothing," Neji just shrugged, looking back at the younger boy with an even stare.

Shikamaru just gave a smirk in response, falling back into silence until they arrived at the training field.

"Are you still going to train?" he asked. "Or actually relax for once?"

"I do relax in my breaks!" Neji protested, turning to face the younger boy. And he wasn't going to slack just because Shikamaru had admitted being attracted to him, if he did that every time he received a confession... well, he'd not be in the shape he currently was. Only… most of his confessions he had either ignored or bluntly turned down. And they were from girls. However, Neji didn't want to think about that right now.

Shikamaru held up his hands in a placating gesture, giving a small chuckle. "Calm down, I didn't expect you to just lie down and do nothing."

"Hn," Neji just replied before jumping off to do his daily training, knowing that Shikamaru would probably just lie down and alternate between watching the clouds and him. Now that he knew that Shikamaru liked him, why didn't he have a problem with him watching? He shrugged off the question. He was a ninja, he couldn't be bothered with people watching him, interested in him or not.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes before lying down on the grass. He probably should train, too, but he really didn't want to bother with it unless he had to.

About an hour later, a slightly out of breath Neji sat down beside him, plopping down in a way that wasn't as rigid as usual, indicating that he was more comfortable around the Nara now than in the beginning, even though he wasn't aware of it himself. Having trained himself hard this time (it wasn't his morning-training), he grimaced as his shirt stuck to his skin because of the sweat he had worked up.

Shikamaru opened one eye and glanced over at him, sensing the movement despite that he had been dozing lightly. He wrinkled his nose a little as the other's slight stench wafted over him but didn't make a comment.

"Break time already?"

"It's been an hour," Neji confirmed, sitting a bit further away from him, not pleased with the look he was getting. What? Had Shikamaru never trained until he was sweating? Perhaps he hadn't seeing how little he did train.

"Ah," he muttered, eyeing him weirdly as he scooted away. Did the Hyuuga think he was weird now, after having some more time to think over the confession?

Shikamaru quickly shot that thought down. He wouldn't be trying to act nice if he didn't want to be around him.

Right?

Neji almost felt the need to glare at the other as he was given a weird look. What was it now? The Nara seemed to be complaining without even uttering a word, and it was starting to get on Neji's nerves.

Shikamaru resisted to the urge to roll his eyes at the look he was given in return. He glanced away, back up at the sky.

"So..." Okay, he was going to hit himself later for sounding so girly, but he had to know. "Uh, you... never really gave much of a response earlier..."

"Ah... well..." Neji didn't look at the other, knowing he was already blushing faintly as his response was... well... warranted. And he knew very well what Shikamaru was talking about.

"About that... I don't really know... I..." he took a deep breath. A Hyuuga didn't stutter like that, he just didn't. "I didn't know two men could have a relationship like that," he replied finally, a little stiffly, this time sounding like himself. "I am a little confused."

Shikamaru's eyes widened slightly and he looked back over, sitting up slightly, supporting his upper body by his arms. Homosexuality wasn't something that was talked about, but it wasn't exactly kept a secret by those who were. He just... assumed that everyone knew about it; after all, he'd known what it was since he was two years old.

"Well, ah..." He inwardly scowled, blushing a little at his next words. "I-if you... picture me as a female, would you have given it a chance?"

Neji frowned a little at Shikamaru's words. While he wasn't a sexist and knew clearly that many kunoichi surpassed many of their male colleagues, there was something that just screamed _wrong_ in his mind as he tried picturing the Nara as a female.

"Don't degrade yourself," he huffed slightly, not able to picture Shikamaru with, well, breasts. "And I don't know. I have never been interested in having a relationship before," he replied, the last word slipping out before it hit him with what he had just implied.

Shikamaru sighed, a bit relieved at his response but not sure exactly why. He tried not to fidget as he asked his next question.

"...Would you be interested in one now?"

"...I don't know." Neji looked at him, sighing softly before running a hand through his hair. However, his mind couldn't help shooting in helpfully, you haven't turned him down yet, and you're still wanting to be around him, that’s got to count for something. Great, now he was taking advice from himself.

"...Maybe..." he added after a moment’s hesitation. Oh, fuck this. Okay, he was still confused as hell, but he hadn't disliked the kiss or anything, and he had to admit he was curious, if only a bit. Perhaps having a relationship for once wouldn't be such a bad thing?

Shikamaru smiled a little, scratching the back of his head as he leaned forward so he was sitting up straight.

"Well, then..." He pushed himself to his feet, pausing for a second before starting to walk. "Just... let me know what you decide, okay?"

Watching the younger boy walk away, Neji didn't get back to training as he just sat there, watching the clouds.

A few hours later though, he was on his way home, having forced himself through a little more practice before he counted himself as finished. Besides, it would be dinner time soon.


	8. Chapter 8

Ino walked out of her family's shop, finally done with her duties that day, and she was dying to know how Shikamaru's 'blind date' had went. In fact, she was very eager, so three minutes later, she found herself at his home.

Shikamaru had been lying out on the roof, trying to avoid everyone as best he could. He sat up and crawled over, peeking down as he heard someone approach. His eyes narrowed at Ino before he signed _Rat_ , letting his shadow extend down the house, trapping her.

About to knock again, Ino's eyes widened as she couldn't move. Oh yes, she knew this jutsu very well.

"Shika! Let me go, damnit, I know you're here somewhere!" she yelled.

Shikamaru smirked then let his hands fall to the side, standing up and just jumping down onto the street; movements that obviously Ino couldn't mimic.

"Well, well, well, looks like I've caught a conniving, little _pig_ ," he said, mocking.

Ino just glared at him, though she didn't seem as confident anymore, not being trapped like that.

" _I_ got you a date, well sort of, with him, what would you have done had you been left to yourself? Brood and never show yourself to him ever again?" she challenged, mentally crossing her fingers that her plans had brought some fruit.

"That's not the _point_ , Ino," he said, eyes narrowing. "He obviously didn't know what was going on either. You told someone else. _Without my permission._ You had to; he wouldn't have come on his own."

He paused, fighting off the urge to grip his hair, or hers, or _something_ , calming his anger down only to feel the nervousness again. "Do you know how _awkward_ and _embarrassing_ it was? Stuck there with him and trying to make small talk? Admitting it to him?"

He stopped in his rant for now, wanting to hear what she had to say, not knowing-- or maybe caring-- that he'd been almost yelling that on a semi-public street.

"H-hey now..." Ino seemed to be getting a little nervous, which was completely her right, being at the mercy of a very pissed Shikamaru at the moment.

"I didn't tell them that much..." she at least had the grace to blush. "Besides, they aren't going to tell anyone else, they're just as concerned about Neji as I am for you." she tried smiling at him to soften him up a little.

"Come on, Shika... I didn't say anything that put you in a bad light."

"That doesn't matter. You still told someone, Ino," Shikamaru responded, shaking his head, unintentionally making Ino do the same.

"And they told me in turn about Neji," Ino stood her ground, annoyed as her head was shaking.

"You..." he stopped and sighed. "I don't even know how it's going to be anymore. At least before I could've waited until it blew over and then just... acted normal again."

"But would you have wanted to just act normal?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Come on... you fancy someone! It's the first time I've heard you take an actual interest in someone and as one of your best friends it's my duty to help you out."

"And what if he'd had Juukened me to the grave when he saw me? He threatened me with it, and there's nothing stopping him if he still wanted to," he shot back, leaving out that Neji was at least trying to understand, wanting to make her feel as bad as possible short of having her cry.

He avoided her question; of course he wouldn't have wanted to act like that normal again, but he would have.

"Honestly, Shikamaru!" Ino gave him an almost hurt look. "You think I'd let you go if I thought he'd do that? Uh… those I told, they... well, they know Neji better than anyone else, they wouldn't have let you go if they thought you'd be in any kind of danger!"

"Who, his teammates? His family? You know he keeps himself closed off from everyone as much as he can. No one but himself knows what he's really thinking or going to do."

He had plenty more chakra-- probably enough to hold Ino for another hour if she didn't struggle against it-- but he didn't feel like wasting it, hoping this discussion would end soon enough.

"Lee and Tenten know him better than you!" Ino glared at him. "I think they can read him better than anyone. Besides, Lee had a talk with him and we could kind of conclude he wasn't pissed about what you did from it." Ino was getting more confident now. Shikamaru hadn't done anything to hurt her yet, which meant he probably wasn't going to at all.

Shikamaru's eyes widened slightly before narrowing again. "It-- _Kind of_ isn't good enough when it comes to these things, Ino!" he yelled, surprised that she had really done this with so many unknown variables. They had learned better than that and the basics didn't change from a ninja mission to everyday life.

"He was really confused about it and testy and, yes, pissed off."

"Because you left before he could say anything..." Ino said innocently, knowing she had gotten the upper hand.

"Besides, had he been really pissed, he could have just left you there. No one forced him to stay, I'm sure he's bright enough to understand that.”

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "And I'm sure you'd have stayed around to wait for a reaction if you kissed, oh, I don't know, Sakura?" he snapped.

Ino tensed. Then came the imagery.

" _Ew_ , Shika!" She glared, not happy about the suggestion of who she could have been with. Then again, boys were such perverts. She huffed, and had she been able to, she would have put her hands on her hips.

"That's not my point!" She pouted. "My point is that I knew what he was mad at you for, and it was not the kiss! You don't hurt someone badly for walking out on you, you just don't! Hyuuga Neji or not!"

"But you _didn't_ know," he pointed out. "You just assumed that was the reason." He sighed then grinned slightly, chuckling. He walked closer to Ino, making her do the same, and then leaned in a little.

"Just next time, make sure your assumptions are fact, I-no-chan," he said, name rolling off his tongue, knowing she hated the suffix ever since Sakura decided not to be her friend anymore.

He leaned back again and stepped around her, walking to his front door as she walked farther away. "Oh, and Ino?" he added, glancing over his shoulder. "Thanks for paying for our lunch. We'll have to do that again sometime."

He opened the door and walked in, closing and locking it before releasing the jutsu, letting her mind draw her own conclusions from his wording.

The streets were silent for a moment, before a loud _SHIKAMARU!_ was heard, creating an echo in between the houses. Oh, that was it! Ino stalked away angrily. Like hell she would ever help Shikamaru again. He could beg as much as he wanted to, she'd just laugh and watch his demise! Yes, that's exactly what she would do. Ino Yamanaka was seething.

Said boy just laughed, leaning back against the door. He half-wondered if he had pushed it too far, but then just shook that off. She had deserved all of that and if she couldn't take it that was her problem.

\--

The next day, Neji looked up to see the sun glare brightly at him, as if mocking the fact that he had gotten no sleep that night. It wasn't that he hadn't been tired, but he hadn't been able to sleep. Having tried to make sense of all that had happened in just two days, he was now very sleepy. Sure, he'd go train later today, he had to, but he was for once considering just watching clouds, just like a certain Nara he knew.

Shikamaru was lying on the grass in his spot, having been there for a few hours already. He had thought of not showing up today but just decided that would be an even stupider move than hiding from Neji in the first place had been.

Then he'd frequently thought that he should get up a leave before the Hyuuga showed up, but something kept him anchored to that spot.

Finally showing up, about half an hour later than usual, Neji dropped down beside the other unceremoniously, closing his eyes with a sigh, finally relaxing. At least here his uncle wouldn't catch him relaxing.

Shikamaru glanced over, both eyebrows raised in surprise. He held back a comment, though, not wanting to push the other away before they even started talking.

However, time stretched and the Hyuuga didn't speak. Closing his eyes, he let himself drift, and before he knew it, he was asleep. Granted, it was a light sleep and practically any noise might wake him up, but he was asleep.

Shikamaru smiled and slowly turned himself so as to not disturb the Hyuuga. He propped his head up on his hand and just watched him, utterly content and happy that Neji felt that comfortable near him.

He took his time, studying his face, not really having had much time during the so-called sleep over until Tenten had come barging in. He really was amazed how calm and soft and just... gorgeous the Hyuuga looked when really relaxed.

After what might have been about an hour, Neji stirred again, his mind still having trouble letting him rest. Groaning softly, he opened an eye, feeling slightly bewildered at first, not really knowing where he was.

Shikamaru rolled back onto his back, acting like he hadn't just been staring at Neji for who knows how long.

He gave a chuckle, letting it be loud enough to help wake him up. "Morning, Sunshine."

Huffing a little, hearing Shikamaru's voice, Neji turned to face him, glaring slightly as he remembered where he was and who he was with.

"Shut it, I didn't get any sleep tonight," he muttered, closing his eyes again, silently wanting some more sleep.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, sitting up. He decided not to press on the why, hoping that it hadn't been a bad thing and about him.

"Then why'd you come out here? If you're tired, you should rest. You can't train if you're not in good health," he said, almost scolding.

"...my uncle would find out," Neji explained shortly, still keeping his eyes shut. It was nice to lay there like that, now if only he could get some more sleep... A small yawn forcing itself from his lips, Neji put his arms behind his head, using them like a pillow.

Shikamaru smirked, observing to himself how like himself the other was acting right now. But he knew Neji wasn't used to sleeping on the ground, at least always having a sleeping roll during missions, and he wouldn't be surprised if he was cranky and upset later on when he was sore.

He shook his head and stood up, leaning down and tugging gently at one of his arms. "Come on, you can take a nap at my place," he offered.

"Hm?" Neji cracked an eye open, looking up at his... friend? Boyfriend? That's right, he still hadn't answered him. However, he decided that could wait until he wasn't ready to fall asleep on the other.

"...is that really alright?" He asked.

Shikamaru gave a short laugh, shaking his head. "I slept over at your place; it's only right I return the favor. Besides," he added, "when have I ever offered something that was stupid or troublesome?"

"Fair enough," Neji smirked slightly up at him before getting up. Then he realized he didn't know where the Nara lived.

"Lead the way," he murmured, blushing slightly at the thought of sleeping in the younger boy's house. The phrase sounded so suggestive, even though they both knew it was purely sleep that was the goal. At least for today.

Shikamaru nodded and started walking, shoving his hands into his pants pockets. Eventually they reached his house, small comparatively to those around the village, especially when placed alone against the big forest surrounding it.

He really hoped his mother wasn't home, too late to back out if she was, opening the door.

Walking beside the Nara in comfortable silence, Neji felt a bit strange as about everyone out on the streets stopped to stare at them as they passed by. So, alright, Neji may not have many friends, Neji may not hang out with someone that often, and it might be a bit strange for people to see him and Shikamaru together, but this was getting ridiculous. He was tempted to ask if he had something between his teeth.

If Shikamaru had been asked, he would have claimed that Yoshino had literally _swooped_ down upon him and started asking questions about where he had been and why had he skipped breakfast and just disappeared on her.

She suddenly stopped talking, spotting Neji, surprise taking over her features. "Oh, and who are you?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "'Kaa-san, this is Hyuuga Neji. Neji, this is my 'kaa-san," he reluctantly introduced them, wondering why she hadn't recognized him by his eyes.

"He wants a place to relax for a few hours and he can't anywhere else with his family breathing down his neck," he emphasized, giving her a look. "We'll be up in my room. Please don't interrupt unless you have to?"

Yoshino frowned slightly at her son's tone of voice but nodded. "Fine, but you're helping out with dinner tonight, then, Shikamaru." She turned and gave a smile to Neji. "Nice to finally meet you. I'm glad you liked my cooking."

"Nice to meet you too, Nara-san." Neji bowed respectfully, not looking anything like he needed sleep. When he had to, that is when he represented his clan, he had to force himself to behave like a proper Hyuuga would. Thanking her for the bento, he complimented her cooking yet again, before exchanging quite a few polite phrases before politely excusing himself and retreating after Shikamaru up to his room.

Yoshino, though knowing that the Hyuuga's were nice and proper, was still surprised at how nice the young man was. It made her want to smack her own son for how rude he always was.

Shikamaru heaved a sigh as they were finally away from her and in his room. "Sorry about her being here," he said, noticing how cluttered and messy his room was. "And... Uh, the mess," he ended lamely.

"No... it's to be expected," Neji shook his head, before trailing off, entering the Nara's room. And yes. It was messy. Neji was not aware a room could be that messy, or at least, he hadn't been until now.

"Ah..." he was going to say that it didn't bother him, or that it didn't matter to him, but the words somehow stuck in his throat.

Shikamaru sighed and gave a small smirk. "Go lay down, it's clean over there. And I guess I'll straighten up a little," he said, inwardly wincing. If Ino knew he was _suggesting_ that, he'd never hear the end of it.

"If you're sure you don't mind.." Neji nodded, before looking at the mess. "I could help you clean it up first?" he suggested, finding the idea of going to sleep while others worked, especially if it seemed they did it for him, quite rude.

Shikamaru shook his head. "No, it's fine. You haven't slept," he said, reassuring him. He bent down, starting to pick up the clothes scattered around his room.

Nodding, Neji wasn't going to press matters further. He would have, had he not been so incredible sleepy. Pulling off his jacket and his pants, leaving him in a fishnet-shirt and boxers, he climbed into the bed, barely able to cover himself with a blanket before he was fast asleep.

Shikamaru blushed, trying to not watch him as he undressed. He held back a chuckle, glad that someone else thought his bed was comfortable.

It took him another good half an hour before his room was looking decent again; clothes stuffed into his hamper or in his drawers and any books and papers piled in three stacks on his desk, not bothering to straighten his small bookshelf.

After he deemed it clean enough he sat down on the floor and leaned against the twin-sized bed, resting his head back, ready to doze off himself.

\--

About three hours later, Neji woke up again, his tummy grumbling this time, hungry for some food. Sitting up, he looked around sleepily, before spotting Shikamaru on the floor. He noticed the room looked much better now.

"Shikamaru?" he asked softly, wondering if he was asleep or not.

He was but he stirred slightly, never sleeping deeply at his house unless it was nighttime. There were plenty of things that his mother, father, and Ino and even Chouji had done to wake him up over the years. Cruel and unusual, he claimed every time.

He took a deep breath and opened an eye, glancing around until he spotted Neji, then opening the other.

"Ah..." Neji blushed a little. "Do you... have you any food in the house? I'm kind of... starving," he admitted once his stomach decided to growl loudly, making his blush deepen.

Shikamaru blinked and nodded slightly, pushing himself to his feet. He stretched with a yawn, his back popping. "Come on, we'll sneak down and raid the fridge," he said, not wanting to run into his mother and have to actually cook something.

"’Raid the fridge’?" Neji asked, almost incredulously, as he watched the Nara for signs that he was lying.

"You're serious?" He asked after a while, getting up to pull on his pants, not wanting to walk around in his boxers.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Yeah, why not? If we don't, 'kaa-san'll keep us there for a few hours."

"I see," Neji smirked amused. Well, this was something he had never done before. Raiding the fridge... it sounded so childish, so immature... It was irresistible for the usual stiff Hyuuga.

"Let's go then."

Shikamaru chuckled, more than amused by the other's small rebellious streak. This was something he'd have to explore more. After all, what good was he but for corrupting others?

"Just be careful to not let her spot you," he warned, opening the door and walking silently down the hall and then stairs.

Nodding, Neji felt like a disobedient child as he snuck out of the room after Shikamaru, moving with the same stealth he did on missions, masking his chakra just in case. He didn't know if Yoshino could sense chakra, but he didn't take risks. Being caught raiding the fridge did not sound appealing, especially if Hiashi would find out later.

Shikamaru slowed down as they got to the first floor, poking his head around the corner, looking into the kitchen. He relaxed a little, seeing Yoshino was nowhere in sight. Hopefully she had just gone out to tend to the deer; that normally took an hour or two.

He motioned for Neji, letting him know it was okay as he walked into the kitchen, heading over to the fridge.

Following the other, Neji was amused that such an easy task could be so... satisfying. Opening the fridge, he looked into it, wondering what would be okay to grab.

"Take whatever you want," Shikamaru said, grabbing a peach for himself. "Just don't touch the left-over bean curd, that's my 'tou-san's."

Nodding, Neji grabbed some ham, some cheese, as well as a tomato and a half cucumber.

"I'm done," he looked at Shikamaru, saying it as if he had found all groceries he needed at a store, telling him they should be going to the exit, pay and go home. Or something like that.

Shikamaru nodded, looking over what he'd selected, flushing slightly as he spotted the phallic-like green vegetable. Which they would be taking up to his room. Where Neji had been half-naked.

The Nara inwardly shook himself, pushing those thoughts far, far away from his mind.

"Let's go back up, then," he muttered, turning and making his way back up the stairs again.

Following the other again, Neji was pleased that Yoshino hadn't caught them. If she had, and told his uncle, who would in turn tell Hinata and Hanabi... he would never live it down. Hinata wouldn't be a problem. Hanabi would. Sitting back down on the bed, he smiled, feeling like a mischievous child that had succeeded whatever mischief he was up to.

Shikamaru took a seat on his desk chair, sitting in it backwards and straddling it, arms resting on the back. He took a bite of his peach as he watched Neji, wondering if the other knew how cute his face looked just then-- all giddy and mischievous.

Not conscious of that smile on his face, Neji started eating the food he had taken, delighting in for once eating with his fingers, not having to fix a sandwich even, just taking a bite of this, a bite of that. It wasn't something he had done before at home, or on missions, and it was all new.

Shikamaru did his best to not laugh at the Hyuuga, but it was just so... different. He was really glad that Neji felt he could let go around him now.

He opened the window once he finished the peach and threw the pit out, aiming towards the forest part instead of the street. With any luck, they'd have a peach tree after a few years.

Having eaten everything but the cucumber, Neji took some of it into his mouth before biting off a piece, chewing on it happily, the smile now fading away, yet he still looked rather pleased. The question now, was what to do? He didn't think he could go back to sleep, besides it'd be rude to do so. Glancing over at the Nara, he frowned a little at the other's obvious amusement.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

His eyes widened slightly, remembered his train of thought from earlier. He shook his head, glancing away slightly. "Nothing," he muttered. "You, ah, look happy." He smirked lightly, looking back over as he added, "It's a nice change from your usual 'grumpy' or 'insulted' moods."

"Hn," Neji didn't quite know what to reply to that, having never had anyone complement him on him looking… happy. However, he couldn't find it in him to be displeased by it either.

"So... about what we talked about yesterday..." he looked away from the younger boy, a faint blush staining his cheeks again.

Shikamaru blinked, letting out a small sigh. "It's okay, Neji," he said, shrugging lightly, resting his chin on both his arms, staring down at the floor. "It's... no big deal." He just didn't want to actually _hear_ Neji reject him; if it happened, fine, he'd move on, but he didn't want to hear it.

Tensing at Shikamaru's words, Neji bristled a bit before he took back control of himself.

"If that's how you see it..." he replied coldly, getting up from the bed and starting to put on his jacket, his movements a bit sharper than usual. It's no big deal... perhaps he had done a major mistake actually considering the Nara's words seriously.

Shikamaru furrowed his eyebrows, confused. He sat up straight, starting to stand up. "Neji? I... I just mean, if you wanted to-- to stay friends, it's okay. And you don't have to answer yet if... you're still unsure."

Whirling to face him, glaring, Neji walked up to Shikamaru, getting into his personal space as he stared into his eyes.

"Do you _want_ us to stay friends?" he asked, voice still cold.

Shikamaru fought the urge to take a step back, hands tightening on the back of the chair.

"I-I--" He cut off, turning his gaze away and sighed before bringing it back to him. "...No," he said. "Not, not _just_ friends. But I will be, if that's all you want."

Staring at him with an unreadable look for a while more, Neji finally took a step back and sat back down on Shikamaru's bed, crossing his arms.

"If I chose to accept," he started, giving the other a piercing stare, "it better not be… not a big deal," his eyes narrowed slightly as he repeated Shikamaru's previous words.

Shikamaru looked startled for a second, shaking his head as he slumped back down into the chair.

"N-no, it won't be; I-I mean it will!" he said, half covering his face with a hand, laughing derisively at himself. This is why he hated relationships, but the other just seemed... worth it.

"I meant that if you wanted to stay friends, you didn't have to worry about hurting me. I... don't want you to feel pressured about it."

"Then I say no," Neji looked at him, seemingly calm, but there was an edge to his words.


	9. Chapter 9

"Since you don't seem to care much if I say yes or no." He got up from the bed again. "I am not going for someone that obviously doesn't care much,” he huffed. He had been right; it was a mistake even considering it from the beginning. So whether he wanted to give dating Shikamaru a chance or not wasn't that important to the other brunette, then he certainly didn't deserve him taking the chance. Especially since it would be his first relationship.

Shikamaru frowned, hurt flashing across his eyes. He stood up again, moving away from the chair and taking a step towards the Hyuuga.

"I _do_ care, Neji," he said, "And I _want_ you to say yes, but not because I want you to. It has to be your decision and I don't want you to say yes just because you feel you have to. I'd rather just stay friends before forcing your hand into something that you would hate."

Turning slightly to glare at him, Neji was very tense, very aware, very controlled at the moment.

"Do you think I am the kind to be forced into something?" he asked, his voice deadly calm as he continued to stare at the young Nara. Did Shikamaru really think he was weak enough to be bullied into things he didn't want? This was getting annoying.

Shikamaru froze for a second before letting out a sigh. "No," he said, automatically closing off his expression. "No, you aren't. But I still can't help feeling like that, because if the situation was reversed, I probably would be. ...I'm sorry that I want to make sure you're happy with your choices."

"I have been perfectly happy with my choices so far." Well, a small white lie never hurt anyone... "I don't see a reason to stop now. If I decide I will try a... relationship, with you, I am not going to settle for something that is 'whatever'." He glared a little at the other.

"And don't try to make my choices 'easier', Nara. It's not needed."

Shikamaru glared back, doing his best to hold back his temper; which had been easier to set off as of late.

"Well, then what do I need to do to show you that it won't be..." he trailed off, waving his hand in a wild gesture, " _whatever_. Get you flowers, chocolates? Write you poetry? Bring you on a picnic to the beach? Because, dammit, I'll do all that if it'll show you that I'm serious!"

Flushing at the Nara's words, Neji turned a little away from him to hide his rather dark blush.

"You don't have to do those things if you don't want to..." he murmured, not sure if he liked how it sounded like Shikamaru didn't want to do those things. Not that he had hoped he would, of course; that would be just silly... right. Moving on.

"Fine," he said a bit more clearly, once his blush died down, and turned to face the younger boy. "I'll try having a relationship... with you."

Shikamaru blinked, shocked speechless for a second. He really had just expected the Hyuuga to start punching him for implying he'd want to be treated like a girl. He wisely kept his mouth shut, though, visibly relaxing and deflating.

"Neji, I'll... I'll gladly do any of those things, I just..." He stopped, giving a short laugh. "Think about it; if I had shown up, offering you a bouquet of roses and a box of chocolates, what would your reaction have been?"

"...out of the blue?" Neji asked, raising an eyebrow at the Nara before thinking about it. Well... no one had so far tried that, but...

"I would think you were crazy or that you intended them for Hinata-sama," he replied after a while, refusing to acknowledge that he had basically admitted to being feminine enough to be mistaken for his cousin.

Shikamaru nodded, smiling lightly. "And then I'd bet you'd avoid me like the plague, right?"

He went silent for a bit then asked, "So, we're, uh... boyfriends, then?"

"Probably," Neji's lips twitched slightly in amusement, looking over at the other boy. However, he could feel his stomach do a slight flip-flop at the mention of what they were now. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling though.

"Yeah..." he nodded, blushing faintly at the term Shikamaru had used.

The Nara relaxed more and moved over to sit on his bed, leaving plenty of room for Neji to sit too. He was just glad that he hadn't messed everything up.

"...This is my first relationship, too, you know," he said quietly. "So I'm sorry if I ever do something stupid."

Blinking as he sat down, Neji turned to look at Shikamaru, checking that he wasn't kidding with him. When he was sure he wasn't going to spout a 'gotcha!' like Naruto would, he cleared his throat a little.

"Really?" He asked, still a bit skeptic. "What about Temari?" he asked, knowing there had been a few rumors about those two, if not dating, having taken an interest in each other.

Shikamaru looked at Neji like he had grown another head. "Temari? That girl with the fan from Suna?" He shook his head. "I just fought against her in the finals. And helped Naruto and Sakura catch up to her and the other Suna participants after he went crazy or something," he pointed out with a shrug.

He really hadn't gotten the full details about what happened after Asuma had rescued him, but he did know that Suna was trying to work out a treaty with Konoha-- though that proved hard without an official Hokage.

Neji just shrugged at the look he was getting. Which made him remember something.

"Ah, Shikamaru?" he asked, frowning a little, puzzled. "When we walked here... there were lots of people... staring at us. Do you know why?"

Shikamaru blinked, thinking back. Ino was mad at him, but he doubted she would just turn and gossip about what had caused their--

His eyes widened slightly and he heaved a sigh, cradling his head in his hands. "Ah... I'm not sure, but... I fought with Ino yesterday. Outside. About how she set us up and... maybe some names accidentally slipped or something?"

"...you were arguing about me?" Neji raised an eyebrow. "In the middle of the street?" and the other followed. Yeah, that would explain the many stares. He groaned a little, hoping against hope that Hiashi-sama would never even hear of that. It wasn't that he was ashamed of having a relationship, he just didn't imagine his uncle react pleased to the news.

"Yeah, uh, sorry," he said, sitting back up straighter. "She was just making me mad and, despite that it worked, she was out of line, setting up our meeting at Yakiniku Q."

"She was in good company," Neji huffed a bit. "Tenten and Lee had definitely a hand in that." He looked up at his... now... boyfriend. It was strange to refer to someone as his boyfriend, but it was strangely pleasant to do so.

Shikamaru nodded before pausing, sitting fully straight now. He glanced over at Neji, a smirk growing. "Want to get them back?"

"Hmm?" Neji raised an eyebrow at the other.

"Get them back? How?" he asked, liking the sound of that. Scooting a bit closer to the Nara, he found himself staring at the mischievous smirk.

Shikamaru chuckled, turning a little so he could fully face the Hyuuga. "Well, their goal was obviously to set us up so we'd be dating, right?" he asked, continuing, not waiting for a real answer.

"Why not have them think the _opposite_ happened for a while? I already told Ino that you had threatened me, so it shouldn't be much of a stretch. Unless you've spoken with your teammates between then and now?"

Neji shook his head. He did generally not hang out much with his teammates, it was limited almost only to training when he did see them. Listening to the idea, Neji's smirk came to almost match Shikamaru's own. It sounded amusing.

"It's a good plan," he nodded.

"We have to make it convincing, though," the Nara continued. He knew they could both act, at least a little; ninja's had to for infiltration missions. "But... I also know, if it gets too far, Ino will end up plotting against you and, if your friends act the same, I'd rather not become a human pincushion."

"You'd have nothing to fear from Lee." Neji was amused at what they were planning. "Tenten on the other hand..." he shook his head.

"We should do it when all three are around..." he suggested thoughtfully, that way they didn't have to act twice. "That way we can tell them the truth before it goes too far." He added.

Shikamaru nodded, mind half going off and starting to plan things out better. "We can play it out in our training field," he said, not realizing what he'd called it. "You can bring Tenten and Lee there on the pretense of training and I can manage dragging Ino for some... cloud-watching," he finished, grinning lightly.

" _Our_ training-field?" Neji asked amused. It wasn't that he minded the other calling it that, but he found it amusing since the Nara had only helped him out with his training there, once. Of course, that could be changed.

"That could work," he nodded, approving of the idea.

Shikamaru flushed lightly, giving a shrug. He calmed down as he went back on track again, giving another smirk. "So we'll bring them there at the normal time we meet up?"

Neji nodded, then smirked.

"I think I can manage getting pissed off at you and Yamanaka for disturbing our training." He chuckled slightly. He'd just pretend it was only the Yamanaka girl disturbing them, and it would be piece of cake. While she was Shikamaru's friend, he found her quite annoying, although he supposed she wouldn't be that annoying anymore, seeing as he was now dating her best friend.

Shikamaru's smirk widened. "And I'm sure I can get annoyed by you all making so much noise while I'm trying to rest," he said before shifting again and laying back on his bed, arms under his head and legs still hanging off the side.

Nodding, Neji lay down beside Shikamaru, his hands resting on top of his tummy, unsure of what to do now. What did couples do again? Kiss? Hold hands? Not sure, Neji just lay still, listening to their quiet breaths, enjoying the silence between them, reminding why he hadn't felt bothered by the other's presence in the first place; unlike most ninjas their age, Shikamaru wasn't noisy, nor did he babble about unimportant things.

Shikamaru turned his head to look at the other, rolling his eyes slightly as he lay a little stiffly. He turned to his side and reached over, grabbing one of Neji's arms and tugging him closer.

"H-hey..." Neji protested slightly, but he allowed himself to be pulled closer to the other, so it was hardly a real protest. However, he did wonder why Shikamaru did that.

Shikamaru smirked, head resting on one of his arms, the other resting across Neji's stomach. "Much more comfortable," he murmured against the side of Neji's head.

Tensing a little at all the physical contact, Neji turned his head a little to look surprised at the other, who was suddenly very close. So close in fact, that if he turned his head fully, their faces would touch. Flushing slightly, he brought his hand up to rest beside Shikamaru's on his stomach, hands touching, but not holding. Making himself relax a little more, he nodded, turning his head back to keep his gaze on the ceiling.

Shikamaru tucked his head against the other's shoulder and closed his eyes, content. After a few more minutes of silence, he chuckled softly and opened one eye, still feeling the other’s muscles were less than relaxed. "Relax, Neji. I'm not going to do anything."

Neji felt his blush deepen slightly when his brain helpfully pointed out what Shikamaru thought he was thinking he'd do to him. Which wasn't why he couldn't relax completely.

"I know that," he looked down on the other, well, he didn't know that, but he hadn't gotten the impression he would. "I... have never had physical closeness before," he tried explaining. Well, he had gotten the occasional hug from Hanabi, but that didn't count, besides, he wasn't very fond of that either, because that usually meant she had been, or was going to be a brat.

Shikamaru opened his other eye and frowned a little, pulling his head back just enough so he wasn't going to go cross-eyed trying to look at Neji. He recalled the sleep-over and how that proved him very wrong. But he knew better than to tell him about it and he just sighed, giving half a shrug.

"Well, you'll just have to get used to it," he said. "I'm not all... touchy-feely like Naruto or Kiba, but it's still nice at times."

Neji blinked, looked at Shikamaru and blinked again.

"Have you... been... with Naruto or the Inuzuka?" He asked, wondering how Shikamaru knew they were touchy-feely and forgetting what he had said before. It wasn't that he was jealous, he decided, he just didn't like the thought of them all over the Nara.

"No. You've seen how Naruto is; he wants to be noticed, and physically touching someone is the easiest way," he said, closing his eyes again. "Kiba's not much different, really."

Shikamaru paused, peeking open one eye. "Plus when we'd skip class back in the academy, they'd always start a wrestling game or something like that. Hasn't changed."

"I see." Neji nodded, having never ever skipped classes, but he guessed... he could see Naruto and Kiba doing that.

"Why did you skip class?" He asked after a while. It didn't make sense. He knew the Nara was intelligent, as opposed to Kiba and Naruto, and he wasn't hyper like them either. All in all, he didn't get why the younger boy had been skipping classes.

"Mm, they were so boring," Shikamaru answered. "I understood and knew what was going on in the class, so why bother stay around for longer than needed to understand it?"

Neji thought about it for a while. Well... he could sort of understand that, though he had never even entertained the thought of skipping class, because Hiashi-sama would have found out and that would not have gone very well.

"Besides," he started, voice taking on a more playful edge, "I couldn't let them have all the fun and cloud-gaze without me."

"Mm, I suppose they had much time left to watch clouds while picking fights with each other," he replied drily, knowing that both Naruto and the Inuzuka was much too hyper to enjoy laying still for more than a minute, watching clouds nonetheless.

"What about Chouji? Did he just tag along after you?"

Shikamaru pushed back any irritation, knowing Neji hadn't meant the question to sound degrading to Chouji.

"No, we've been best friends since before we even went to the Academy. He doesn't tag along, he _joins_ me," he clarified.

Smirking slightly, hearing the slight irritation in Shikamaru's voice. He hadn't meant to insult the Akimichi in any way. At least he hadn't mentioned his chubbyness. He doubted that would sit well with Shikamaru.

"I mean, why did he skip class?" he tried clarifying his question. He was a little amused of the protectiveness he could feel from the other when he talked about Chouji, though he supposed he could understand it. "Does he have the same interest in the clouds as you, or does he join you because you are his best friend?"

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling like he was being mocked, albeit with no malice behind it.

He let it slide off him, though, as he answered, "Truthfully, I think it was because he didn't want to be left behind. I wouldn't have excluded him from anything and now it's just become a tradition between us. We'll watch the clouds and share a few bags of chips."

Nodding, Neji was satisfied with the answer, closing his eyes again as they just lay there like that. However, what Shikamaru had said had gotten him to think. How would it have been to have friends when he was that age, and go skip classes with them, and getting in trouble? He supposed he would never know, but it was an interesting thought.

Shikamaru's lips curved up in a smile before he closed his eyes too, letting himself relax more against the older boy. He hoped the other didn't mind if he ended up falling asleep because he could feel himself already drifting off.

Just as Neji was about to doze off as well, the door opened, and someone stepped into the room, followed by some rustling from an open bag of potato chips.

"Oi, Shikama-- ru..." a voice, decidedly male, trailed off before the bag hit the floor. Neji imagined potato chips all over the floor as he opened his eyes, startled by this new presence.


	10. Chapter 10

"Y-you... what..." Chouji spluttered, eyes wide from the sight in front of him, seeing _Shikamaru_ cuddled up to another _guy_. And not just any another guy, but Hyuuga Neji!

Shikamaru inwardly winced, pulling himself back from the sleep he'd been trying to get. He knew Chouji didn't know anything yet, having apparently been away on some sort of family business.

He sighed and opened his eyes, turning his gaze over to his friend. "Quit being troublesome, Cho," he muttered, smirking lightly. "Close the door and your mouth, then we'll explain."

Blinking, Chouji sighed and did as he was told before looking sadly down at his dropped bag of chips. Eyes lighting up after he realized the room was _clean_ for once, he scooped it all back into the bag; his chips weren't ruined after all. However, it was suspicious that Shika's floor was clean, but seeing him cuddled up to Neji, he supposed that explained it all.

"So what's going on?" he asked, putting a handfull chips into his mouth, looking curiously at his friend and the other boy.

Shikamaru sat up, though snuck his hand over and took hold of one of Neji's. "After some things happening, all too troublesome to talk about and having to do with Ino, I... found out I was gay. Or at least Neji-sexual," he said, smirking. "And we decided to try a relationship."

"'Neji-sexual'?" Chouji chuckled, taking another mouthful of chips, looking at the two of them, noticing the faint blush in the Hyuuga's cheeks and the way he refused to look at him. From what he was seeing, the Hyuuga did seem to at least have some feelings when it came to his best friend. Which was good because Chouji had never seen any other emotion but anger on the Hyuuga's face.

"Whatever makes you happy," he shrugged, after having deemed Neji good enough for his friend. And just like that, they were back to normal, though Chouji thought that it might take a while getting used to.

Shikamaru grinned, sure that he'd actually talk more about it with Chouji later. But that's when Neji wasn't there.

"No one else knows we're together," he said. "So be careful what you say out in public, okay? Tomorrow we're telling Ino, Tenten and Lee but not before we get back at them for making it so awkward."

"No one knows, right," Neji snorted slightly, amused. "Forgotten about the stares we were getting earlier? About all of them will assume we are, thanks to you and Yamanaka-san."

Chouji raised an eyebrow at the two of them, taking another mouthful of chips.

"You're going to tell me everything later," he pointed out to Shikamaru, letting him know he didn't even have a choice about it anymore. Not that Shikamaru would hide anything from him, of that Chouji was sure.

Shikamaru nodded at Chouji before looking back at Neji. "No one knows that we're _together_ ," he emphasized. "All they would have gotten at the time was that I liked you."

"Yes, but people do assume, Shikamaru," Neji raised an eyebrow at him. "Most people don't wait for you to spell it out to them, so they assume." He explained, as if Shikamaru was a small child that didn't understand such a common phenomenon.

Shikamaru scowled and reached over, poking at Neji's forehead, pushing him back down on the bed. "Which is why rumors are hardly ever right."

"Yeah, but that leaves us with a handful people that _think_ they know," Neji frowned slightly as he was pushed back on the bed, but he sat back up again, finding it strange to act like that in front of Chouji.

Shikamaru sighed and sat back. "Okay, so... some people, who don't even know us personally, _might_ think we're together. Which we are," he said, putting all those facts down. "The problem is?"

"Those people gossip," Neji shrugged, smirking up at the other. "Ino or Tenten may hear." There wasn't really a problem, he had just felt like pointing out the flaw in Shikamaru's statement.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, smirking back at him. "Are you afraid you won't be able to pull off your role?" he asked, teasing.

"Don't be stupid." Neji crossed his arms over his chest, half-glaring at his boyfriend. "I can pull off any role, at any time!" He huffed, now having forgotten that Chouji was there, munching chips and watching the two of them as if he was at a theatre and they were the movie that was playing.

Shikamaru chuckled, grinning lightly, knowing Chouji was still there somewhere in the back of his mind. "Good. I don't think I could pretend to hate you if you sucked at it."

Neji smirked amused at his boyfriend, inwardly convinced that he was a much better actor than his boyfriend. "Think you could pretend to at all?" He asked, teasing slightly, implying that Shikamaru couldn't act at all.

"Oh, I'll be able to. Don't worry your pretty little head off," Shikamaru all but cooed to him.

"My head's not pretty!" Neji protested, huffing in a way that made his cheeks look almost like he was puffing them up childishly.

Shikamaru just chuckled and nodded to humor the Hyuuga. "Sure," he said before dropping it and looking back over at Chouji.

"So do you want to come too, when we mess with them?" He knew Chouji was much nicer than him when it came to those sort of things, but you never knew.

Chouji fidgeted a little from having the two stare at him like that, and he put another handful of chips into his mouth, chewing a bit slowly. He supposed it could be fun, but he was hesitating because Ino would be there, and she would get angry. And she might believe he was in on it.

Shikamaru understood his hesitation and shrugged. "She shouldn't suspect you; you've been away for two days and she doesn't know you're here, right?"

Nodding slowly, Chouji swallowed the chips before agreeing to come. It would be fun to watch, even though he felt a little sorry for the ones Shikamaru and Neji were going to mess with.

Neji on the other hand, watched the exchange between the two best friends, feeling like he was missing out on something, though that was hardly a surprise. They were, after all, best friends, and had been for years.

Shikamaru gave a small grin. Now it would be easier to convince Ino to come. She may not enjoy cloud-watching but she hated being left out when it was all three of them.

"So... Akimichi-san," Neji started, a smirk adorning his face, making the younger, chubbier boy gulp a little. "You don't happen to have any embarrassing stories about Shikamaru, do you?" he asked, voice almost silkily, making the Akimichi squirm uncomfortable. He didn't like refusing people their requests, or not answering questions, but he wasn't going to tell on his best friend either.

Shikamaru's eye twitched slightly and he gave a sigh. "Sorry Neji, but we haven't been going out long enough for you to hear those stories," he said with a small smirk.

He didn't really care if Neji ever heard his embarrassing moments, but he wanted to at least feel more secure in their relationship before putting his dignity on the line.

"Hn." Neji huffed again, pretending to be offended, much to Chouji's amusement. He found he approved even more of the Hyuuga when he didn't act like he had a stick up his ass.

"Now, maybe if you shared something of your own first..." he prompted even though he knew that the Hyuuga would never willingly humiliate himself.

"You wish," Neji smirked at him, knowing that if Shikamaru found out that he'd have a very willing source in Hanabi, he would never manage to live it down.

Shikamaru laughed, giving another shrug. "I'm sure I'll find out something eventually."

"So will I," Neji just replied, not quite liking that smug look on the other's face.

Shikamaru just smirked and shifted on the bed, laying down and propping his feet up on Neji's lap.

"Hey!" Neji looked at the feet in his lap, then up at the owner of the feet. "I am not some kind of furniture," he spluttered slightly.

Shikamaru's smirk widened and he raised an eyebrow. "No, but you are comfortable," he said.

Pushing his feet off his lap without a further thought, Neji's eyes turned to Chouji.

"What time is it?" He asked suddenly, having just remembered that he had promised to take Hinata out shopping for some new clothes, even though he didn't really want to. Still, he couldn't say no to Hiashi.

"Uh... twelve-thirty?" Chouji shrugged as Neji stood, suddenly seeming a bit hurried in his movements.

"I have to go, I have an appointment, and I'm already late. Bye." And with that, he was gone.

Shikamaru blinked, a bit surprised at his sudden departure but he just shrugged it off. It wasn't like Neji to lie, so he obviously had forgotten something. He stared at the door he'd left through before rolling his eyes and crawling over on the bed, closing it again, then turned to look at Chouji.

"Ah, congrats then," Chouji smiled at his best friend, happy he had found someone he liked. It wasn't a big deal that it was another boy, rather than a girl, though it was a bit surprising that it was the Hyuuga prodigy. For some reason, Chouji would have deemed him too 'troublesome' for his lazy friend.

Shikamaru smiled and sat cross-legged on the bed, facing Chouji. "Thanks. So you're really okay with all this?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Chouji smiled good-naturedly at his friend. Shikamaru put up with so many of his habits, it was the least he could do in return, even though by now Chouji wasn't thinking like that anymore; they were friends, and friends supported each other no matter what.

"As long as you're happy. I'm a bit surprised it's Neji though..." He put another handful chips into his mouth, chewing before looking a bit sadly at the empty bag in his hand, wishing it had been bigger, or that the bags contained more chips.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and reached over to the other side of his bed, pulling out a bag of chips and tossing it to his friend. He always had a stash for Chouji but Yoshino didn't like junk food in the house, so he kept them well hidden.

"Why? He's not loud and annoying like everyone else," he said, obviously not including Chouji in with that generalization, but that went without saying.

"Ah, thanks!" Chouji's face lit up as he caught the unopened bag of chips, immediately starting to munch on it. "Well... I suppose you’re right." Chouji shrugged a little. "He seems very... stuck up though, and he's probably high-maintenance too," he chuckled a little. "He seems like someone you'd call troublesome anyway."

Shikamaru laughed, settling down into the bed again. "Probably," he agreed. He'd already cleaned up his room without being asked, after all. "But I'm pretty sure he's worth the trouble."

Chouji actually stopped eating for a second, raising his eyebrows in surprise. Now, this was highly unusual for his friend. Seemed like he really had fallen for the almighty Hyuuga.

"It's nice you've found someone you think is worth it," he merely said, smiling before continuing to munch chips.

Shikamaru blushed a little, realizing what he'd said, though he still stood by it. He did his best to brush it off and shrugged. "Just don't go telling him that yet," he said, grinning. "Don't want his ego swelling even more."

Laughing a little, Chouji shook his head. Shikamaru was still Shikamaru though, even though things had changed slightly.

Shikamaru fell silent for a big before grinning again. "So... When are you going to tell Ino you like her?"

Flushing a deep, dark scarlet, Chouji shook his head before looking down, still blushing, yet feeling a bit miserable at the mention of his hopeless crush.

"I-- Ah... she'll just reject me..."

Shikamaru sighed, scooting off the bed to sit next to him. "You don't know that. She may be hung up on that stupid Uchiha kid right now, but she doesn't love him," he said, then smiled. "Eventually she'll realize that her perfect man can't be broken like a toothpick."

"Maybe..." Chouji sighed. "But we are talking about right now. I'm not gonna ask as long as she's like... that." He looked down, not wanting to say something bad about the girl he was crushing on.

"You mean being a bitch?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Even though they were friends, he had no qualms about insulting Ino or, in this case, stating facts. He just didn't understand why she was like that when someone who obviously worshipped her was right here.

"...infatuated with Sasuke," Chouji hung with his head, not even bothering to frown at his best friend for insulting his love-interest. Chouji had been crushing on her for quite a while now, and he was used to having Shikamaru call her names, even though he didn't like it.

Shikamaru sighed and inwardly winced, regretting bringing it up. He had hoped that seeing _him_ of all people dating someone, he would have enough courage to at least think about asking Ino out.

"...So, uh, what were you doing these past couple of days?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

"Ah... well, you know... training with my family..." Chouji grimaced. He didn't mind training, well, not as much as Shikamaru did at least, but he didn't quite like what he had learned.

Shikamaru frowned, not liking the grimace. He knew Chouji didn't like training with his dad because he felt inferior to him but he'd always took it in stride before.

"What did you do?"

Grimacing again, Chouji started telling him about the pills and the effects they would have on his body. It wasn't very... pleasant to think about, although he knew that when it came down to it, he would use them if it was necessary.

The more Chouji got into it the more Shikamaru grew angry. He knew it wasn't his place, but how could they use such a thing? Sure it gave them more power, but it obviously came with a price-- and one that was too high to pay, in Shikamaru's opinion.

"...Don't ever use the red one, Chouji," he said, serious. "Promise me."

Looking at Shikamaru, Chouji felt a little better seeing Shikamaru's expression. While the other didn't say it outright, it was obvious what he was thinking. It made Chouji feel a little fuzzy that the other genuinely cared.

"I won't unless it's the only way out," Chouji said seriously.

Shikamaru watched him for a few seconds, not liking that answer but knowing he would have to accept it. They were shinobi, after all, and death was always lurking around them.

Finally he sighed and nodded back, showing that he understood.

Smiling a little at his friend's unwillingness to accept that he might have to use it, Chouji reached out the bag with chips, offering his friend some.

Shikamaru's expression softened and he reached over, taking a chip from the bag and biting it in half, letting a more comfortable silence settle over them.

They shared a companionable silence for a while, only disturbed by the munching of chips, before Chouji smiled.

"At least the Hyuuga looks like a girl," he chuckled amused at the thought. Well, the Hyuuga was in many ways masculine; his voice, his posture... it all told that he was clearly male, but his long hair and fair skin could cause him to be confused with a girl, at least from a distance.

Shikamaru choked slightly as he inhaled too much air, starting to laugh. He shook his head, wiping at the corners of his eyes as he caught his breath. He looked at Chouji, a wide smirk on his face.

"Sometimes, he acts like one too."

Chuckling, glad he had managed to cheer up his friend, Chouji grinned at him. So the Hyuuga acted like a girl sometimes too? That was just amusing. "He does?" he asked.

Shikamaru nodded, chuckling softly. "Yeah. Maybe I'm generalizing it a bit, but he does."

"How?" Chouji wasn't usually one to enjoy gossip, or talking about someone else behind their back, but this was a too good opportunity to miss.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and had Chouji been anyone else he would have hesitated telling him, thinking it would come back to bite him in the ass. But he knew that whatever was said in his room was never repeated.

"When I slept over his apartment before, it was... annoyingly clean. And he had a bunch of shirts that were all girl colors; purple, pink, those colors. And, uh... Well, I don't really know if it's a girl thing or not, but..." He trailed off, cheeks coloring a bit. "He cuddles in his sleep."

Chouji blinked. Then blinked again.

"Wait, wait... you _slept_ over at his apartment? When?" he looked at his friend, although he grinned. Yes, the Hyuuga did sound like he had a few girlish habits. Sure, Chouji did like his own room clean, but it did get messy every now and then without it bothering him.

"Oh, uh..." He frowned, thinking back. "Two days before you left for training, I think. It was before I even thought I liked him."

Chouji looked at him for a while before grinning.

"Alright, you have to tell me the whole story," he chuckled.

Shikamaru groaned and gave an unconscious pout. He gave his best friend a half-hearted glare and started with how his mother had found out he had left Neji training before it started to rain. He flushed a little, glancing away when he started explaining the kiss, still thinking it was the stupidest thing he'd ever done despite it all working out.

Amused throughout the whole story, Chouji's promise to himself about not laughing was broken when Shikamaru explained the kiss, making him burst out in laughter, shaking where he was sitting.

"Only you, Shikamaru, only you..." he shook his head in mirth.

Shikamaru scowled, huffing slightly. "Yeah, well... Ino didn't make it any better," he muttered, grimacing.

"Actually..." Chouji was still laughing as he patted Shikamaru on the back. "I think she should be given some credit in getting you two together," he chuckled, knowing that Shikamaru wouldn't agree with him, but it was the truth, he now saw why she had done it. If she hadn't, Shikamaru and Neji would be in a stalemate, neither able nor willing to move, and it would probably have gone on until it all cooked out into nothing.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you would think that," he grumbled before putting Chouji in a headlock, giving him a noogie. "You're a hopeless romantic like that." He smirked and let go, adding, "She still should have gone about it in a better way."

Grinning, Chouji mock-struggled against Shikamaru's hold on him, letting him give him a noogie, laughing all the while.

"I don't think so," Chouji smiled, amused, once Shikamaru let go. "If you caught one whiff about her planning to get you and Neji together and you'd have avoided her like the plague."

Shikamaru scoffed. "That doesn't excuse her. Besides, if she'd told me that she thought Neji returned my feelings I would have searched him out or... found some way to confirm it first." There was a pause. "Okay, no, I wouldn't. I wouldn't have believed it, but still."

"Exactly," Chouji grinned, agreeing with the last thing Shikamaru had said. His friend, just like him, had no guts when it came to things like that.

"I think you owe her a thank you... after you have paid her back," he grinned.

Shikamaru chuckled. "Maybe." He smirked before nonchalantly saying, "Maybe I'll return the favor and get _her_ a boyfriend."

"H-hey!" Chouji whined, giving his friend a look that reminded much of a kicked puppy.

Shikamaru's smirk widened a little and he shook his head. "Don't worry, I won't set her up," he reassured, though was actually growing fonder of that idea by the second. Of course Chouji would be his other victim, but he didn't need to know that.

"...you better not." Chouji tried glaring at him, though his glares were considerably less effective than, say, the glares of Neji and Sasuke, of this he was very well aware. He supposed he just wasn't made to look scary or intimidating.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes before giving the other an exasperated look. "You know I wouldn't do that to you, Cho," he said. "Besides I think you're the only one who could put up with her in long intervals."

Chouji nodded before blushing slightly at his friend's next words. "Think so?"

Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah, I know I get sick of her after a couple hours."

"But that's you," Chouji chuckled, knowing his friend thought most girls troublesome, and would get sick of any girl after too long. Come to think of it, that made him slightly worried about his friend's new relationship; he had described Neji as a bit girlish after all. But it wasn't his business and his friend _was_ smart, so maybe the worry was unneeded.


	11. Chapter 11

The next day, Shikamaru faux-kidnapped Chouji from his house and walked with him to the Yamanaka's shop, hoping Ino would either be there or in the back where their actual house was.

Standing at the counter, Ino sighed. Yet another boring day. Sure she had had a few customers, but it was too early for there to be much traffic in and out of their shop. Also, the flowers had already been tended to, and there wasn't anything to do, except wait for someone to walk in the door.

Shikamaru pushed open the door, strolling in and walking towards the back counter. "Yo," he said in greeting, raising a hand slightly.

"Shikamaru!" It was a mix between a yell and a growl, and a bucket hit the brunette's head, a pissed-off blonde glaring at him from behind the counter. "You dare show up after yesterday?" she asked coldly, none-too-happy. She had obviously not forgiven him yet.

Shikamaru scowled and rubbed his head before picking up the bucket and setting it on the counter.

"If anyone has the right to be mad still, it's me, Ino. But if you want to be upset over something so childish, fine," he said calmly, knowing the other considered herself mature.

"You... you-- AUGH!" Ino growled, crossing her arms over her chest, still glaring at him. "Why do I even bother with you, now get lost!" All she had done was help him get a boyfriend, she would have at least expected a thanks from him. Honestly, boys could be so rude sometimes!

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Me and Chouji were gonna go cloud-gaze and he insisted we invite you, too, though I'm not sure why," he said, using the other boy as an excuse, knowing he wouldn't mind _and_ it was more believable.

Looking over at a slightly blushing Chouji that was munching on his chips, Ino sighed, knowing that she wouldn't say no. She wasn't mad at Chouji, so she wasn't going to say no to spend some time with her friends. Didn't mean she had forgiven Shikamaru though.

"Fine, I'm coming. 'Kaasan! Going out!" she called to her mother. At least she was getting out of this boring shop.

Shikamaru turned around before giving a smirk of triumph. Step one complete.

\--

Neji had just finished talking to his uncle about something concerning Hanabi, and on his way out he stumbled into his team-mates. _Perfect_ , he smirked inwardly.

"No, Lee! You can't do it like that!"

"But why not?" said boy asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he looked down at the paper in his hand before the weapons girl tore it away from him.

"Because it's too forward," Tenten tried to explain again. "If Sakura didn't like you yelling out your love before, I doubt she'll want to read a sonnet about it."

Lee sighed and nodded dejectedly. This was so hard! But he couldn't give up!

Sighing, Neji would have rolled his eyes at his team-mate had he been anyone else.

"You should quietly ask her on a date, quietly," he told the martial-artist. He could very well understand that Sakura didn't want to go out with someone as loud as that. He also knew that Lee could be quiet if he wanted to, if anything, that was his best shot. "Take her on a picnic or something."

Both ninja started slightly, not having noticed Neji appear; Tenten feeling slightly ashamed about that.

Lee turned to face him, eyes widening a little before he nodded, determination shining in his eyes. "Yosh! I shall go find my Cherry Blossom and ask!" he yelled before turning to go search for her.

Tenten scowled and grabbed the back of his unitard before he could move. " _Quietly_ , Lee!" she reminded him. "Besides, I heard her team went out on a mission."

Neji nodded, sighing.

"Lee, if you want her to like you, learn to do things a little more quietly," he said and gave him a pointed look. The Green Beast of Konoha should know exactly what he was talking about. After all, even though he hadn't cared at all at the time, he knew that Lee had thought Gai-sensei was just as weird and slightly scary in the beginning, just like him and Tenten.

Lee nodded slowly, looking more put out by the fact Sakura wasn't in the village than anything else. Then he remembered what they had done a few days before and glanced at Tenten, grinning.

If Neji was talking with them, obviously something had gone right since they had, after all, ditched him. Unless of course, he just hadn't shown up which could be quite possible. But he didn't want to think about that.

"Let's go," Neji gave them a cold look, having noticed the grin on Lee's lips when he looked at him. They should know by now that he mostly talked to them because he had to, not because they really were his friends, so it didn't matter if he was mad at them.

"Did you want, ah... assistance with your training, Neji?" Tenten asked as she followed him with Lee hobbling along behind, catching herself before she said 'help'. She never said that word to Neji anymore; not after that one time.

Giving a curt nod, Neji just walked towards his usual training-field, now also Shikamaru's usual cloud-gazing spot. He wondered who would get there first, him, or his boyfriend.

\--

Shikamaru was contentedly lying back in the grass and eating a chip he had 'stolen' from Chouji's bag, eyes shifting around every now and then, wondering when Neji would show up with his teammates.

As fast as lightening, Neji and Tenten were standing beside them, a seemingly pissed Hyuuga eyeing them, his arms crossed and a clear frown adorned his face. In the background, Lee was slowly hobbling to catch up with his team-mates.

"What are you doing here?" Neji eyed the younger team angrily.

Shikamaru was actually surprised at his sudden appearance but quickly recovered and slapped a scowl on his face.

"Lying down. I'd think it was obvious, Hyuuga," he drawled, voice mocking. "I guess those eyes of yours need to be fixed, hm?"

Tenten's eyes widened and she immediately took a step back. That was not something you said to Hyuuga Neji unless you wanted to be hurt. She worriedly turned her gaze to Ino. What had gone wrong?

Shit. Ino looked wide-eyed at the Hyuuga that was glaring at them-- at Shikamaru to be more specific. Hadn't their date gone well? Shikamaru hadn't let on anything other than that Neji hadn't physically harmed him even though he had threatened to. Scooting a bit away from her friend, she did not want to be in the Hyuuga's line of fire.

 _THACK._

A kunai stood in the ground, one millimeter from cutting Shikamaru's throat and pulse.

"Have a death-wish, Nara?" Neji asked, voice cold as he glared daggers at the younger boy, internally amused, but not showing it. "I'd be more than happy to assist!"

Tenten let out a squeak and retreated further just as Lee finally caught up, looking just as worried.

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes and sat up, reaching over and pulling the kunai out from the ground. He studied it for a second, looking contemplative though really trying to school himself so he wouldn't let a grin slip.

He sighed heavily, rolling his head a little as he looked back up. "You're troublesome, Hyuuga. Just go train somewhere else."

"Get lost, Nara!" Neji spat, enjoying seeing the blonde girl, Ino, scurry further away, pulling Chouji with her. Giving him a kick in the side that made him roll over, Neji made sure it looked like it hurt more than it actually did, having used the tip of his foot to roll the Nara around, instead of hitting him with it in the side.

"This is a Hyuuga training compound." he added, another kunai suddenly sticking into the ground between Shikamaru's legs, so very close to his crotch, actually cutting a little of his pants, but doing no real damage.

Lee winced, looking concernedly at his friend. He normally wouldn't give a cheap blow like that; obviously he was really upset about something.

Shikamaru's eyes widened and he tensed, head snapping up and looking at him in surprise. That had been way too close for comfort. He mentally shook himself and the next moment he was on his feet, glaring at Neji and pointing the kunai at his throat.

"That doesn't give you the right to attack me like that!" he snapped.

Holding another kunai to Shikamaru's throat, Neji returned the glare. He had caught the surprise in Shikamaru's eyes, but he would settle that later. After all, the Nara didn't seem to know he couldn't possibly miss from such a short distance.

"Says who?" He asked haughtily, pressing the kunai slightly more into Shikamaru's skin, not yet drawing blood, not that he intended to anyway. He knew how much pressure he could put before anything happened.

"Hey, _hey_!" Ino yelled, not going to let anything happen to her friend, despite the fact that she was scared to death of the Hyuuga when he got like this, knowing she was no match for him. "Stop this at once you two!" she put her hands on her hips, trying to act like she was completely confident in herself.

"Stay out of this, Ino. It doesn't concern you anymore," Shikamaru growled, inwardly smirking and satisfied. He moved his wrist, turning the kunai sideways and pressing it under Neji's chin, next to his throat.

Tenten trembled slightly then shouted, "Neji, stop it! Whatever happened at the restaurant can't be enough cause for this!"

"Tenten, I have told you to stay out of my business!" Neji shot a glare at the girl, before refocusing on Shikamaru, pushing the kunai just enough to draw a small drop of blood. He assumed that since Shikamaru hadn't been mad at him for the accident with the kunai earlier, he could draw just a little, for effect.

"Shikamaru!" Ino glared at her friend. "Stop being such an ass! Tenten's right, there's no reason to be like this!"

Tenten flinched, not wanting his rage turned onto her, as Lee frowned, eyes darting back and forth. If only he had his full strength, then he could pull Neji away!

Shikamaru took a sharp intake of breath, scowl deepening but quirked an eyebrow. "There's a _really_ good reason to 'be like this', Ino," he said, before lowering his arm suddenly and turning around, grinning. "To mess with you."

Lowering his arm as well, Neji couldn't help the small smirk that adorned his lips, amused as he watched the flabbergasted looks of Ino, Tenten and Lee. "And it went rather well," he added, smirk widening.

Shikamaru chuckled and nodded, bending down to pick up the other kunai and handing both back to Neji. "You might have over-did it a bit, though," he commented, grabbing his arm and leading him away.

He felt a bit bad that he was leaving Chouji back there with the other three, but there was no way he was going to be present when they recovered from the shock. At least Chouji could claim innocence.

"Hn." Neji took the kunai, putting it back in his weapons bag. "But it was convincing, wasn't it?" he chuckled slightly, letting Shikamaru lead him away from the others, silently agreeing. He really didn't want to be there when Tenten recovered. She couldn't best him, but he had learned from experience that a pissed-off Tenten was not easy to handle.

"I guess," Shikamaru acquiesced, as they started getting far away enough that he felt comfortable. "But you're buying me a new pair of pants."

Neji just shrugged, he could live with that. At the moment, he was too amused with his first practical joke ever. And he decided that it did feel good.

Tenten blinked, not in her right mind to even turn and watch them leave, and blinked again. And blinked again. Then her eyes narrowed, turning around. "Hyuuga Neji, you better be using your byakugan every minute of the day from now on because you better watch your back!" she yelled out after him, fuming.

Lee, on the other hand, had watched them, forehead creased. He was more hurt than angry, wishing that his rival could have shared in the joy if what he could gather from how he and the Nara had interacted was true.

"I can't believe them!" Ino was just as fuming as Tenten. "Those... those... BASTARDS!"

Eating his chips, Chouji was having a hard time trying not to laugh.

Lee sighed and turned back to look at the other three still there. His eyes caught on Chouji and thought back to the past couple of days; no, he hadn't been there.

He grinned slightly, then asked, "They are together, are they not, Chouji-kun?"

Looking up at the black-haired boy, Chouji smiled, swallowing some chips.

"They are," he confirmed, nodding, amused at the show, but he kept a small distance from the two fuming girls.

Lee smiled and hobbled over to a tree, using it to help him sit down on the ground. "I am glad," he said. "Neji had seemed almost depressed when trying to understand earlier."

"He did?" Chouji scooted over, making more place for the injured boy to sit, offering him chips. "I can't imagine Neji being depressed..." Sure, the Hyuuga was reserved, he got angry, and frustrated, and perhaps angsty, but not depressed.

Lee declined the chips with a shake of his head.

"He does not show it, but he was very unsettled before," he said, smile widening. "I am glad he is happy now."

Taking another mouthful of chips, Chouji nodded thoughtfully. Even though Neji didn't seem to understand it all the time, he supposed that Lee was to Neji what he was to Shikamaru.

"He's lucky to have you as a friend," he grinned.

Lee's eyes widened and he stared at Chouji for a second before grinning widely and diving over and giving him a one-armed hug. "Thank you, my friend! Shikamaru-san is lucky to have you too!"

Eyes widening a little at the hug, Chouji was, mildly said, surprised. Though he shouldn't be, considering the other's personality. "Thanks," he smiled after he recovered, munching on his chips some more, finding he didn't mind the spontaneous hug.

"Lee!" Tenten snapped, making him flinch slightly and move away from Chouji, looking at her with wide eyes. "Aren't you upset?!"

Lee shook his head, a little confused. Sure, the prank had been a bit much, but shouldn't they happy for them?

"At least they're together," Chouji pointed out, looking up at Tenten, smiling.

"Cho..." Ino came up to them, her voice too calm for comfort. "Did you know about this?"

Tenten huffed a sigh and crossed her arms over her chest. That was true, but still!

Lee turned his gaze to Ino, feeling a little intimidated. He didn't know the Yamanaka, but he had learned that whenever a girl went from hysterics to calm like this, it was never a good thing.

"No," Chouji took another mouthful. "I just don't get upset when my best buddy is happy," he shrugged, trying to ignore the glare he was getting from the blonde girl. He didn't like lying to her, but... he couldn't let her know he knew; that would hurt more.

Lee nodded quickly in agreement. "Yes! We must be happy that they had worked things out for the better!"

"Still, the least they could do is thank us!" Ino huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "If it wasn't for us, they wouldn't be together!"

"Exactly!" Tenten said, putting in her two cents. "They should have been at least grateful enough to not scare us like that!"

"It probably _was_ their way of thanking you," Chouji shrugged again, flinching a little at the growl Ino emitted.

"What kind of _retarded_ thanks is that?!" she almost screeched.

\--

Shikamaru was still smirking, arms behind his head as he walked. "That was more fun than I thought it would be," he commented.

Neji smirked, agreeing with him. "So now what?" He asked. They could obviously not go back there, they would be torn to shreds by two furious girls. That could hardly be very healthy.

He turned his head slightly to look at him. "First I want to change my pants since someone over-did it and ripped them," he said, though was obviously not upset.

"Alright," Neji's lips twitched in amusement. "I hope you know I couldn't have missed," he added after a while, glancing over at the younger boy. He still remembered the startled an slightly uncomfortable look the other had sported right after.

"It's still not something you want to chance happening," Shikamaru said, rolling his eyes a little. "I'm sure you wouldn't have hit me, but it's still unnerving."

"I suppose," Neji nodded, not really feeling guilty; the look on the blonde girl's face when he did it was absolutely priceless. "I apologize then."

Shikamaru shrugged. "It's fine; as long as you buy me new ones or fix these," he said as they arrived at his house, opening the door.

Muttering something about not being a woman, Neji turned away from him once they were in Shikamaru's room, giving him privacy to change his pants. "I'll buy you new ones then."

Shikamaru snorted, remembering the conversation with Chouji the day before. "Alright," he said as he undid his pants, peeling them off and just throwing them randomly on the floor before grabbing a new pair from his chest of drawers and slipping them on.

Turning back around when he deemed it safe, Neji frowned a little at the pants thrown on the floor, but he didn't mention it. One, it was not his place, and two, the room was no where close to as messy as it had been the first time he was there.

"I'll be right back; make yourself comfortable," he said, walking out and heading to the bathroom. He knew it wasn't big, but he wanted to clean the cut on his throat. If Yoshino saw it, who knew what she'd think?

Nodding, Neji looked a little around the room, studying Shikamaru's book-shelf before pulling one out, it having caught his attention. Laying down on the other boy's bed, knowing he wouldn't mind, Neji started reading the book.

About ten minutes later, Shikamaru walked back into his room, neck smeared slightly with a salve to heal it faster.

Not looking up from the book, Neji's face was beat-red as he stared down at the... the... _abomination_ that had been hidden inside the book. He had been flipping through a few pages when he discovered it, and a few of the pictures were... well, just not _proper_.

Shikamaru quirked an eyebrow at Neji's expression and went over, leaning over him slightly. "What's wrong?"

However, the only thing leaving the Hyuuga's mouth were splutters as he looked from Shikamaru to the book with the perverted pictures and back to the younger boy again.

Shikamaru blinked, looking confused, and glanced down at the book. His eyes widened and his face grew red to match Neji's.

"I-I... T-that-- Ah, troublesome," he huffed, now scowling, and took it from Neji, closing it and peeling off the fake-cover. "It's my 'tou-san's," he explained. "He likes to hide them around so 'kaa-san doesn't find them."

"Ah... I see..." Neji was still feeling highly disturbed by those images. He considered using bleach on his brain to try to forget them. Sitting up, he couldn't bring himself to look at Shikamaru after that, feeling embarrassed, though for what exactly, he wasn't sure.

Shikamaru sighed and tucked the book under his arm. "Be right back again," he muttered before strolling out, dropping the book off in his parent's bedroom. His father deserved any lecturing he got for hiding it in his room without him knowing.

Forcing down his blush while Shikamaru was out of the room, Neji looked around for something to distract him from the disturbing book. Spotting a go-board, he smirked lightly, remembering when he and the Nara had played shogi during the storm. It had been fun, he admitted that, and interesting. Shikamaru was a strong opponent, someone he had to think hard to beat.

Coming back in, Shikamaru unceremoniously flopped back onto his bed, not caring if some of his limbs draped over Neji in the process.

"Did you think of something you want to do?"

"...Go?" He asked, not coming up with something else; after all, this was his first relationship. What did you actually do with your boyfriend or girlfriend? Neji had no clue, having never had one or even had an interest in having a relationship before.

Shikamaru shrugged then nodded, sitting up. He'd rather just relax, but one game wouldn't hurt.

"Sure, bring the board over."

Nodding, Neji got up from the bed and brought the board and the pieces over to the bed, placing them in front of Shikamaru, sitting on the opposite side of him.

Shikamaru took the tops off the pieces containers then looked at Neji. "Black or white?"

"White." Neji said, never having really cared for being the one to begin.

Shikamaru nodded, sliding the right container towards him and brought the other one closer. He picked up a piece between his fingers and placed it down on one of the star points.


	12. Chapter 12

About two hours later, Neji was biting his lower lip in concentration; Shikamaru was good at this, very good. Gazing up at his opponent a little, Neji had to admit to himself that chances that he would win were starting to look slim.

Shikamaru studied the board for a bit before placing a stone and blocking off more of Neji's pieces.

Sighing, Neji removed those of his stones that had no more liberties. Studying the board some more, he placed a stone down, slightly annoyed that he couldn't block as many pieces as Shikamaru could in one move.

Shikamaru studied the board again then shrugged, sitting back a bit. "Pass," he said, scratching the inside of his ear with his pinky finger. He really didn't see the point of playing much more; they'd been at it for over two hours now.

Sighing, Neji looked at the board as well before deciding it wasn't worth continuing; Shikamaru was completely winning.

"Pass," he nodded in agreement, before looking up at the younger boy. "Congratulations."

Shikamaru gave another shrug and glanced down at the board for a minute before smirking. "I only won by three points," he said. "It was a close game."

Neji frowned, he could have sworn Shikamaru had won by more, but he wasn't going to argue. "Next time I'll beat you," he just said.

Shikamaru chuckled, starting to clean up the Go stones. "Maybe you will," he said, voice half-teasing.

A small amused smile grew on Neji's lips as he helped cleaning up the Go stones before taking it all and putting it back in place where he had found it.

"What do we do now?" he asked, sitting back down on the bed.

"You getting hungry?" Shikamaru asked, realizing it was past noon already.

Thinking a little, Neji inclined his head. "...a little, I suppose," he admitted.

"Do you want to chance venturing out, then? Or continue to avoid the public for a little longer?"

"...I'd like to avoid going public yet..." Neji looked a little troubled. "I... wouldn't want Hiashi-sama to find out from rumors..." Last time that had happened, rumors were going around town about him and Tenten dating, which they had not, and his uncle had heard of it. He had barely avoided being forced to marry Tenten 'because that was the only honorable thing to do' when he had 'deflowered' her, which, again, he had not done. He shuddered slightly at the memory. That had not been fun.

Shikamaru blinked, shaking his head. "I meant just... not going out to avoid running into Tenten or Ino," he explained. "But... yeah, I figured that." He knew enough about the Hyuuga Clan that dating was not taken lightly. Or anything for that matter.

"Oh..." Neji's cheeks was tinted a light pink at his mistake. Then he thought about it a little. "Well, I wouldn't want running into them either," he said after a while. He didn't know about the Yamanaka girl, but Tenten did have a knack for being irritable for a long time, even if she wasn't still angry, he would prefer not to confront her just yet.

"Alright," Shikamaru said with a nod. "Want to see if there's something to snack on in the kitchen then?"

"Sure." Neji nodded, before hesitating a little. "Are you sure that's fine? We can go out and eat if it's too much trouble?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, scooting off the bed. "Would I suggest it if it was?" he asked before sighing. "If there isn't anything that's quick we'll go out somewhere."

"I was more thinking about your mother. I wouldn't want to offend her or eat all your food," Neji replied, getting off the bed as well.

"You're hardly eating everything," he said, waving a hand in dismissal as he made his way downstairs. "And even if you did, it's not like we're not used to it every now and then. The Nara's and the Akimichi's have been friends for a long time, after all."

"Ah... I see." Slightly amused at the thought of Chouji sitting in front of the fridge, stuffing his face, Neji followed him, hoping that Yoshino wouldn't be home. It wasn't that he disliked the woman, but as Shikamaru said, she was troublesome. Besides, he was certain that if she found out he was actually Shikamaru's boyfriend... well, she probably wouldn't like it. And she would tell his uncle.

Shikamaru walked into the kitchen, going over to the fridge and digging through it. He brought out a container of leftover chicken, hoping that his mother wasn't planning on using it for dinner tonight.

"Having your boyfriend over?" Shikaku's lazy drawl, that his son had inherited, could be heard as he leaned against the door-frame, watching the two boys raid the fridge, a smirk on his face. "Oi, Shikamaru, your mother was going to use that chicken for dinner," he added, noticing the red tinge in the other boy's face. If he wasn't entirely wrong, he assumed it was a Hyuuga.

Shikamaru heaved a sigh and chucked it unceremoniously back into the fridge, turning around to look at his dad. "Tch, 'tou-san, next time you hide your tasteless porn in my room, don't."

"Really?" Shikaku drawled, looking Neji up and down as if measuring him. "So that's why he's blushing like a sunset?" He chuckled, making Neji want to hide his face. Stupid old geezer!

"Shut up, old man, and go jack off to your porn," Shikamaru grumbled, grabbing Neji's wrist and dragging him out. "Come on, we'll just get something to eat out."

"Make sure to bring your boyfriend to dinner sometime," Shikaku called after him, amusement in his voice. "I'm sure your mother will want to meet him!"

"That..." Neji let himself be dragged along with Shikamaru, "was embarrassing."

Shikamaru sighed, letting go of Neji once they were away from his house. "Sorry, he's always like that."

"Ah, so... he doesn't really think that we are... I mean, we are, but..." he stopped, willing himself not to say another word to make an even bigger fool out of himself, willing his blush away.

Shikamaru shrugged. "He might now, probably does in fact, but really he just likes to embarrass everyone. Thinks it's his duty or something."

Neji sighed, hoping he wasn't getting in trouble for this, who knows what his uncle would do if he found out he wasn't only dating, but even going as far as date another boy. While he didn't see anything wrong about it, for once Lee was right, he didn't know how Hiashi would take it. He probably hoped of marrying him off sometime to breed more Hyuuga branch-members.

"So where do you want to eat?" the Nara asked, changing the subject.

"As long as it isn't ramen." Neji gave a small smile. Naruto had, for some reason, sometimes popped up at his door-step after the exam and invited him out for ramen. Not that Neji minded, it was... sort of nice to have a, well, he supposed, friend, but there was a limit as to how many times he could eat ramen. "And as long as it's a nice place," he added.

Shikamaru chuckled and nodded, having the same experience with the blond as well as Chouji on occasion. "Well, what do you consider nice, then?"

"The barbecue we were at was acceptable," Neji said after a while, remembering how they had been tricked into meeting there. Come to think of it now, it was rather amusing. Especially now that they had paid the girls back.

"Alright," Shikamaru said with a nod. "We'll just go there." He smirked, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "And if the same waitress is working, maybe we can get a free meal again."

Snorting slightly, Neji shook his head amused, but followed him. Unfortunately, this time the waitress they had had last time wasn't there.

Shikamaru sighed and leaned back in his seat once they were lead to their table, already knowing the menu by heart from how many times he'd been there.

"Are you ready to order?" A black-haired waitress came over to their table, smiling at Shikamaru as she recognised him.

Shikamaru smiled back, remembering how she had always given a little extra food when they ordered another round for Chouji after a hard practice.

"Just the usual for me. Except... a normal, one-person portion," he said.

"I'll have whatever he's having," Neji nodded to Shikamaru, not having decided on anything yet. Besides, he was not very picky with his food as long as it tasted good.

"Alright." The waitress smiled brightly, winking at Shikamaru, making Neji frown faintly.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow slightly but didn't say anything, staying quiet and just relaxing back in his seat.

Neji looked out of the window again, just like he had last time, glad the silence wasn't pressing like last time and he could relax as he did so. But, he decided to himself, he did not like that waitress.

Shikamaru watched him, glad it wasn't awkward this time around. Though they needed to find a different place to eat eventually because he knew he'd get sick of his place between this and his team coming here.

"Do you come here often?" Neji asked after a while, wondering seeing as it seemed the waitress seemed to be a bit familiar with the Nara.

Shikamaru smirked at the unintentional line and just nodded. "Yeah, Asuma-sensei takes us here after every successful mission and sometimes after a long, hard training day."

Neji nodded, feeling slightly confused. "Why would he do that?" he frowned. They most certainly did have no such habit in his team.

"It's in celebration of a job well done. Plus it motivates Chouji to do a better job when there's a free meal at stake," he explained, chuckling. "And it's just fun to hang out anyway."

Nodding again, Neji contemplated that. It obviously wasn't need for any motivation for his team, that was sure. Lee would always put his heart into everything he did, Tenten strived to become the next Tsunade, and he would always be pushed by his own expectations.

"Do you do anything special after missions?" Shikamaru asked, curious, leaning forward a little to rest his arms on the table.

Neji just shook his head, leaning back against his seat, looking at the Nara.

"My team is not as close as yours," he pointed out. It was rather obvious seeing as Shikamaru had his two best friends on his team.

Shikamaru shrugged, waving off that point. "Doesn't mean you can't become close," he pointed out. "Though, I can understand not wanting to be around Lee too much."

"You think I would go even if Gai-sensei treated us?" Neji raised an eyebrow. He could handle Lee outside missions, but _both_ Lee and Gai? No, just no.

Shikamaru chuckled, putting his hands up. "Okay, point taken."

"They're double as bad when they are together," Neji sighed, knowing he had no choice but to endure it.

"Remind me to never be around when they are then," he said, smirking lightly. "You have my sympathy."

"Thanks," Neji replied dryly, resisting rolling his eyes. He was almost certain the other was just counting his luck that he wasn't on Gai's team with him.

Shikamaru sat back as the waitress brought their food and drinks over. He nodded his thanks and broke his chopsticks, starting to put the meat on the grill.

Staring at the waitress for any sign she was flirting with Shikamaru, Neji was relieved when she just left to attend other customers. Breaking his own chopsticks apart, he started putting the meat out as well.

Shikamaru set down his chopsticks, waiting for the food to cook, and took a sip of his tea.

"So..." Neji took a sip of his own tea, feeling a little awkward as he asked a question he felt like he should know. "What do couples do together?"

Shikamaru blinked then shrugged. "I haven't been part of a couple before either, remember? Well, I mean, there's some stuff, but..." he trailed off, blushing slightly.

Blushing lightly as he caught on to what the Nara was thinking about, Neji looked away from him.

Taking another sip of his tea, Neji coughed, trying to ignore the awkward silence.

Shikamaru fidgeted slightly, reaching over after a minute and picked up his share of the meat on the grill.

Doing the same, Neji put one into his mouth, trying to think of something to talk about. Unfortunately, Neji had never been one to talk much, and his social skills were untrained, so he couldn't find anything to talk about.

Shikamaru swallowed the food in his mouth before asking, "So is there anything you have planned later today?"

"No, not really. Why?" Neji looked up, putting some more meat into his mouth. Well, he had planned to wash the dishes, but... that could be done in the evening.

"No reason," he said, shrugging. "Just wondering if you have the whole day free or some prior engagements."

"No appointments," Neji shook his head before taking a sip of his tea.

"Are you good over here?" The waitress came over, just checking that their customers were content with the food and that there wasn't anything else they wanted.

"...yeah." Neji gave her a small glare as she was looking coyly at Shikamaru, batting her eyelids a little and twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

"Yeah, we're good, thanks, Kameko," he said, giving a half smile. He inwardly grimaced; she was a nice enough girl, just it got too annoying when like this, but at least she was a good worker.

"You sure you don't want something extra?" Kameko was clearly hinting to something else than what the barbecue itself offered.

Giving her another glare, Neji huffed softly before turning to look out of the window.

"No, thank you. I'm sure what I have right at the table will fill me quite enough," he said smoothly, understanding what she meant.

Blushing at Shikamaru's words, Neji stared intently out of the window, trying to find an interesting stone out in the street, willing his blush down. He had to admit he had no idea how... sexual intercourse, especially among men, was but he had an idea, especially after viewing that perverted book Shikamaru's father had put in his room.

"If you say so... but if you change your mind, just call for me," she winked at him before retreating, making Neji grit his teeth slightly.

Shikamaru vaguely acknowledged her last words before eating another chunk of meat, smirking lightly to himself.

"What are you smirking at?" Neji asked, giving him an almost-glare, taking another bite of the meat, internally deciding that they would never ever go to this place again.

Shikamaru chuckled, shaking his head. "Nothing, Neji," he said, relaxing against the seat's back again.

Narrowing his eyes, Neji huffed before taking another sip of his tea.

His smirk just widened before he reached forward and grabbed the last piece of his share of the food.

"Are we done here?" Neji asked, getting even grumpier at the annoying smirk on Shikamaru's lips. He wanted to leave this place as fast as possible, he decided.

Rolling his eyes, Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah, we can go," he said, taking out enough money for the food; like the menu, he'd memorized the prices as well.

Taking out his wallet, Neji looked up at Shikamaru.

"How much did it cost?" He asked, having not looked at the menu.

Shikamaru shook his head, standing up. "Don't worry about it. I had enough money."

Neji frowned, tilting his head. He hadn't protested last time, but only because they had put it on Ino's account.

"I can pay for myself," he said, slightly indignant, wondering if the Nara thought he couldn't afford a decent meal, and if that wasn't it... why would he want to pay for him?

Shikamaru sighed and fought the urge to roll his eyes. "You can pay the next time we go out," he suggested. "Let's just go."

Neji frowned, but got up and left with him, not going to argue, even though he still didn't get it.

"Why would you want to pay for me?" he asked after a while, keeping his voice low.

Shikamaru glanced at him, frowning a little. "Do I need a reason?"

"Why would you do something without a reason?" Neji raised an eyebrow, before pausing. "Is this part of what couples do? Paying for each other?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "Yeah, but that's not why I did it. I wanted to; it was less troublesome."

"...right," Neji blushed lightly, looking away from him, wondering if he should bring up the waitress and how she had flirted with Shikamaru, but decided against it, figuring it would make him look jealous.

Shikamaru's lips curved into a smirk at the blush. It really was adorable.

Walking together in silence, Neji was busy trying to force his blush down, looking away from Shikamaru, hoping he wouldn't notice it.

Shikamaru inwardly sighed, fighting off the urge to reach over and grab the Hyuuga's hand.

Noticing Shikamaru glance over at him every now and then, Neji looked at him, noticing that something was troubling him.

"What?"

"Nothing," Shikamaru muttered, glancing away with a blush dusting his cheeks. It would be too embarrassing if he had to admit what he was thinking.

"Hn." Neji wasn't convinced, but he let it lay seeing the blush covering Shikamaru's cheeks.

His blush faded away quickly enough and he gave a half-smirk, realizing their legs had carried them back to 'their' spot.

Blinking, Neji quickly looked around before relaxing again.

"At least they're not here still," he said, not mentioning any names, but they both knew who he was talking about.

Shikamaru nodded, sitting down like usual. "Yeah. But I doubt they'd wait around here for hours on the off-chance we'd come back."

Nodding, Neji sat down beside him, feeling like skipping training for once. Just once; next day he would go back to his normal schedule.

"They could have been training though," he replied.

"Ino can't train if she's angry," he said, chuckling softly. "When she doesn't focus, she completely misses her targets and her special techniques won't work unless she's completely centered. Don't know about your teammates, though."

"Tenten's most likely to train until she drops when she's angry," Neji smirked. "Gets rid of tension and such. Lee was probably not upset though."

Shikamaru snorted and shook his head, not knowing why anyone would want to train until they dropped in any situation. Short of threats, that is.

"Could Lee even train? With... well, you know what happened."

"...officially, no," Neji sighed, closing his eyes. "He does it anyway. Sit-ups and push-ups and such."

"Idiot," he muttered, but there was hardly any contempt in his voice. As goofy and over-the-top and annoying and, well... everything Shikamaru avoided in life he was, he did respect Lee.

"Mnhmm," Neji nodded, agreeing but, like Shikamaru, not meaning anything bad about it. "I wonder how he and Chouji handled the girls after we left..." he mused after a while.

"Well... considering there's no blood on the grass here, I'd say it went as well as could be," Shikamaru said, smirking.

"Perhaps..." Neji's lips twitched slightly before he went silent, closing his eyes, feeling content laying there beside Shikamaru.

Shikamaru watched him for a bit, slightly surprised that he wasn't doing his own training. Not that he was going to say anything; that might get him to do so and leave him to just lie there alone. He smiled to himself as he settled back down into his spot, closing his own eyes and relaxing.

\--

Opening his eyes with a start, Neji looked around, realizing he had fallen asleep outside in the training field. He relaxed again when he saw that Shikamaru was still there.

Shikamaru was still in a light sleep himself, stretched out slightly in the grass.

Sitting up, he noticed that his hair had become slightly messy from him laying on the ground. Neji looked over at the boy and scooted a bit closer to him, a light blush dusting his cheeks as he watched him sleep. He enjoyed watching him like that, even though it made him feel slightly perverted.

Shikamaru twitched slightly in his sleep, subconscious picking up on being watched, but he just continued sleeping.

Reaching out, Neji let his hands slide through the other's hair, feeling the coarse hair slide between his fingers before pulling his hand back.

Shikamaru stirred, blinking open his eyes and giving a yawn.

"It's getting late," Neji looked at the slightly darkening sky, knowing it was dinnertime at the Hyuuga compound tonight and that he had to attend it. "I should be getting home."

Shikamaru sighed, continuing to lay there for another minute before sitting up. "Alright; let's go then."

Getting up as well, Neji stretched, feeling rested. Maybe it had paid off skipping training for once.

Shikamaru stood up, doing the opposite of Neji and slumping forward a little, hands going his pockets like usual.

Walking in silence to his apartment, Neji did not look forward to dinner that evening. He still didn't get why his uncle required him to attend the family dinner at least once a week-- he was clearly not really one of the family.

Shikamaru stopped in front of the building, turning to look at him. "So I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

Raising an eyebrow at him, Neji's lips tilted slightly into a light smirk.

"I don't know much about dating... but aren't you going to kiss me goodnight?" He asked, half-teasingly to cover his own nervousness.

Shikamaru blushed, eyes widening a little. "U-uh, y-yeah, okay," he said, doing a good impression of Hinata. He took a step closer to Neji and leaned up, tentatively covering his lips with his own.

Blushing lightly but feeling a little better knowing that he wasn't the only one who was embarrassed, Neji closed his eyes as he kissed him back. He was silently thankful there wasn't anyone out on the street at that moment.

Shikamaru let his eyes slide closed, deepening the kiss for a second before pulling back, face still flushed.

Blush deepening, Neji opened his eyes. "Good night then," he murmured, leaning forward, giving Shikamaru a short peck on the lips before he retreated hastily into his apartment, face pretty much red by now.

Shikamaru's eyes stayed on the closed door, lips slowly tilting into a smirk before he turned and started walking back home.

Noticing his heart had sped up a little, Neji made his way quickly up the stars to the door of his own apartment. Was he supposed to react like that to a kiss?


	13. Chapter 13

A few weeks later, they were at the normal training field and Shikamaru, like usual, was lying down and cloud-slash-Neji-gazing.

Being done with his training, by now having no qualms with using all techniques in front of Shikamaru, Neji sat down beside his boyfriend, panting softly.

"You wouldn't want to join me training sometime?" he asked after a while, wondering when Shikamaru got the time to train.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, lips tilting upwards in a smirk. "No thanks, I'm perfectly fine just watching."

Blushing lightly, Neji lay down beside him, as he had taken to do when he was done training, having started to enjoy watching the clouds as well. Today, he was fully rested, so he turned his head to watch the Nara as he watched the clouds.

The silence dragged on for a while before Shikamaru glanced at him from the side of his eyes. "Something on my face?"

Shaking his head, Neji smirked lightly.

"...no, it's missing something," he replied softly, blushing as he leaned over to give his boyfriend a light kiss at the corner of his mouth.

Shikamaru blushed a little too but smiled and lent up, giving him another kiss.

Not pulling back this time, Neji deepened the kiss slightly.

Shikamaru was a bit startled but fell easily enough into the kiss, reaching a hand up and threading it into Neji's hair.

Eyes widening a little before closing, Neji could feel his cheeks heat up a little more at the touch, but he didn't protest or pull back.

After a few more seconds, Shikamaru broke the kiss, letting his head fall back into the grass again, catching his breath.

Breathing slightly heavier from the kiss, Neji's cheeks were pleasantly flushed.

"...Shikamaru?" He asked after a while, sounding slightly unsure, although he had gotten courage enough to ask after that kiss; it had been slightly more than the kisses they usually shared.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow to show he was listening, still not yet taking his hand away from in the other's hair.

"Hm?"

"You... like me, right?" Looking away, Neji's face was getting slightly redder by the second as he tried not to fidget.

Shikamaru frowned and nodded, confused. "Yeah, Neji... why? Is something wrong?"

"Ah... I was just wondering..." His blush increased. "You rarely even touch me... Aren't couples... supposed to be a bit more...?" he made a vague gesture with his hand, not finding the right word for it.

Shikamaru sighed, relaxing a little now that he knew it wasn't something bad. He smiled softly and turned his head gently so Neji was facing him again.

"I don't touch you because you wanted to keep us a secret."

Neji frowned a little. "You still kiss me," he pointed out. "But you don't touch me."

"I still only kiss you when no one else is watching," Shikamaru said. "Do you want me to, then?"

Flushing darkly, Neji still couldn't bring himself to look at his boyfriend. "...Maybe?" he murmured in reply, too embarrassed by how forward he was being.

Heaving another sigh, Shikamaru lowered his arm. "Neji, I can't do anything you want if you don't tell me," he said. "I may be a genius, but I'm not a mind-reader."

Huffing slightly, Neji sat back, still not looking at him. He wasn't going to spell it out for him, he just couldn't! He'd have thought the Nara should be able to figure out that much from the subtle hints he had been giving. Alright, so they very, very, subtle, but still.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, watching the other expectantly. His lips twitched slightly. "Well?"

Swallowing slightly and licking his lips nervously, Neji cast a quick glance at him before looking away again. How could something so simple be so difficult? He nodded finally, slowly.

Shikamaru's smirk widened and, without saying anything, reached an arm out and dragged him closer, wrapping his arms around him and bringing Neji half on top of him. "Better?"

Making a startled sound, Neji flushed again as he suddenly found himself draped halfway over his boyfriend.

"Y-yeah..." he nodded, relaxing a little as he laid his head down on Shikamaru's shoulder.

Shikamaru hummed in satisfaction, closing his eyes and relaxing under the Hyuuga.

Feeling the slight rumbling in Shikamaru's chest as he hummed, Neji closed his eyes, finding he rather liked being close to his boyfriend like this.

After a few minutes, Shikamaru started drifting off to sleep again, the extra heat and weight making it easier to fall asleep.

Chuckling softly as he noticed that Shikamaru was going back to sleep, Neji shook his head slightly, pressing a soft kiss against his cheek, still a light blush staining his cheeks.

Shikamaru gave a sleepy smile, hold on the Hyuuga tightening momentarily in a hug.

Shivering slightly, Neji closed his eyes, smile almost disappearing. How long had it been since he had been given a proper hug? He couldn't remember. Not that it mattered. Pushing those thoughts away, he just enjoyed it.

Shikamaru peeked an eye open and pressed a light kiss to the side of his head.

Making a soft noise that sounded almost like a purr, Neji shifted slightly into a better position.

"This is nice," he murmured.

"Mm," he sounded in agreement, closing his eye again and smile widening.

"Well aren't you two cute like that?" Ino's voice was suddenly heard, making Neji tense and quickly sit up, glaring at the girl that was sitting a bit away from them, camera in her hand.

Shikamaru scowled, half from the loss of warmth and contact and half from Ino herself. "Ino, just leave us alone."

Ino just giggled, taking another picture of them, making Neji splutter and scramble off of his boyfriend, his face completely red.

"Oh, don't mind me, Neji," she said with a grin. "I'm just getting my revenge!" She gave Shikamaru an evil look.

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed and he sat up. "You better not get those developed, Ino," he growled out. Not that he wouldn't mind having a picture of him and Neji, but if anyone who shouldn't see them, did...

"Hmm~" Ino pretended to think it over. "Why not?" She asked rather sweetly, teasing. "I was planning to post them all around town."

Shikamaru frowned, glaring at her. "You know, you really should think through your plans like I told you," he said. "What do you think would happen if Neji's uncle found out he had a _boy_ friend?"

"Oh, I don't know... Maybe he'd give you both a good spanking?" She smirked at them. Of course, she would never do such a thing, or even consider doing it-- she wasn't that evil, but it was fun to tease them about it.

"You certainly deserve that after the prank you pulled!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, falling back down on the ground again. "Get over it, Ino."

"Hah!" Ino turned her nose in the air. "Perhaps I'll just show it to your mother." She grinned at the thought. Yoshino would freak out totally if she found out her son had hid a relationship, and a boyfriend, nonetheless, from her.

Shikamaru sat up again, glaring at her. "Don't you dare." He knew his father still had suspicions, but his mother would freak out.

"Yeah, like you didn't dare make me and Tenten fear for your lives!" She bit back.

Shikamaru sighed, grumbling inaudibly to himself. "That was to teach you to _butt out_ of everyone's lives."

"So? You wouldn't even be together if we hadn't!" Ino huffed. "I'm not going to forgive you until I get a proper 'thank you, Ino, for helping us hook up’!"

Shikamaru scowled, an idea coming back to him. "How about instead I hook you up with someone," he suggested, trying his hardest to keep a smirk from his lips.

"Please!" Ino rolled her eyes amused. "You wouldn't be bothered to get yourself a date," she snorted before pausing.

"With who?"

Shikamaru let the smirk appear then, giving a shrug. "If you're not interested, then oh well, but I know someone who said they liked you."

"Hmm..." Ino gave him a calculating glare before nodding. "If it works out, I'll forgive you," she decided. "If not, your mother gets to see the picture."

Shikamaru nodded, having full confidence that his best friend could woo Ino if she only gave him a chance. "Okay, but when I do set up the date, you can't leave him hanging if you don't like him. Give him a chance and see the date through to the end. That's my only condition."

"Yeah, yeah, okay." Ino grinned. "Now get back to cuddling, I've got stuff to do." And with that she was gone.

Shikamaru's smirk just widened as she left, lying back down, satisfied with his work. Now he just had to get Chouji to agree with it and not get nervous.

A bit apprehensive about lying back on top of Shikamaru, Neji glanced at him, still blushing. It had been alright when the Nara had pulled him to lay there; it was quite something else to take the initiative.

Noticing Neji hadn't moved and glanced over at him and raised an eyebrow. "Had enough touching already?"

Flushing lightly at the question, Neji scooted closer to him, pausing a little before he lay back down on top of him, rather awkwardly.

He smiled before wrapping his arms around the Hyuuga again.

Closing his eyes, Neji buried his face in Shikamaru's neck, breathing in deeply.

Shikamaru's smile widened and he closed his eyes, ignoring the small pleasant tingles the contact caused and just relaxing.

"Perhaps we should do this somewhere else?" Neji said after a while, lifting his head. "We were lucky it was only Ino that saw us previously."

Shikamaru sighed, giving an unconscious pout. "But that means moving," he whined softly. He was comfortable where he was!

"Lazy..." Neji smirked, although he made no move to get up or go anywhere else.

Shikamaru chuckled, giving a half-shrug. "You knew that coming into this relationship," he said, still not opening his eyes.

Nodding in agreement, Neji just let out a soft, amused chuckle.

Shikamaru just smirked, tightening his hold on the Hyuuga again.

"Now it would come in handy to know that jutsu Gai-sensei and the others use to just appear and disappear..." Neji sighed softly.

Shikamaru made an agreeing noise, peeking open one eye. "Yeah, but they don't teach you that until you're promoted to Jounin."

"I know." Neji nodded, rather annoyed at that.

Shikamaru sighed, closing his eye again. "I'm sure you'll be promoted next time around, Neji, and you'll be closer to that," he said. "It's not like anyone could be this time. I heard Naruto's out with someone looking for the next Hokage anyway."

Neji just sighed, although he knew he would do his absolute best to be promoted at the next Chuunin-exam.

Shikamaru pulled away a little and leaned down, kissing Neji again.

Kissing back, Neji closed his eyes, shivering a little at the gentle nature of Shikamaru's kisses.

Shikamaru broke the kiss before the urge to do more overcame him and settled back down.

However, Neji was not letting it go just yet. Leaning up, he kissed him again, his grip on Shikamaru's clothes tightening slightly.

Shikamaru blinked, startled, but returned the kiss happily.

Breathing slightly heavier as he pulled back, Neji gave him a small smile before laying down, his head on the Nara's chest, listening to his steady heart-beat.

Shikamaru couldn't help but smile back, tightening his hold on Neji again before moving one hand to stroke his hair.

"Mm..." moaning softly, Neji didn't notice that his body started responding to the gentle treatment of his hair.

Shikamaru's hand stilled and he looked down at Neji, eyebrows raised in surprise.

Tensing once he realized what was happening, Neji jumped away from his boyfriend, face beat red as he sat beside him, trying to hide his problem.

"S-sorry..." he blinked, still surprised he would react like that to having Shikamaru stroking his hair.

Shikamaru shook his head, face heating up a little as he sat up. "It's fine," he muttered. "No big deal."

Not able to look at him, Neji's face was completely flushed. That was something he didn't want to happen again unless that was their intention-- and at that thought, he flushed some more.

"So... Uh..." Shikamaru cleared his throat in nervousness.

"I… suppose I should... go home..." Neji glanced nervously about, pretty sure that Shikamaru didn't want to be around him at the moment, and his embarrassment made him wish he could be swallowed by a hole in the ground.

Shikamaru frowned a little, nodding after a while. "...If you want to," he said finally.

"Ah... that's not really it..." Neji couldn't just say that he was too embarrassed to stay around someone else like this, or that he'd prefer to get rid of his problem quickly. It didn't mean he wouldn't have wanted to stick around for a while longer had it not, well, happened.

Shikamaru studied Neji for a while before nodding slowly again. "Okay; it's fine. I should find Chouji and talk with him anyway."

Nodding, Neji leaned in, ghosting his lips over his boyfriend's before he was off.

Shikamaru smiled, watching him as he walked off. He waited another minute before forcing himself up and starting his search for Chouji.

\--

At his home, Chouji was busy eating dinner, the food disappearing quickly from his plate.

Shikamaru knocked on his front door, running different scenarios through his head on how this would all plan out.

"Door's unlocked!" Chouji called in between chewing and swallowing, not bothering to get up and answer the door.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, smirking a little. Chouji was getting to be more like him. He opened the door, strolling in and heading straight for the kitchen. "Hey."

"Hey," Chouji grinned up at him, pausing in his eating. "How was your day with Neji?" he asked, amused at how much his best friend had taken to hang out with his boyfriend, despite the fact that they didn't have much in common; Neji enjoyed training and working out, Shikamaru was pretty much the opposite, enjoying his rest and not giving a damn if he was good at something or not.

Shikamaru smirked, pulling out a chair to sit down in. "Fine. Up until Ino showed up and tried to blackmail me, that is."

"Oh?" Chouji smiled, curious about what Ino had done to annoy Shikamaru this time.

Shikamaru let out a sigh and nodded before resting his head on his hand. "She snuck up when we were laying down and started taking pictures. Said she'd show 'kaa-san unless I apologized."

"So..." Chouji started, amused at the aspect of Ino showing Yoshino the photo. It was something he wouldn't want to be around for if that happened. "Did you apologize to her?"

Shikamaru shook his head, smirking lightly. "No, I made a deal with her," he started casually. "I told her I knew someone who really liked her and I'd get her a date with him. If it goes well, she'll forget about everything; the pictures, the prank and the fight."

Chopsticks falling from his hand, Chouji stared at his best friend.

"...you didn't..." he shook his head slowly.

Shikamaru stared back, sighing softly. "Chouji, you know she likes you as a friend. The only thing stopping you from being more is yourself. Just show her how much you care."

"You know she won't," Chouji looked down, sighing. "She thinks I'm too fat, she's said so herself!"

Shikamaru frowned. "If you show her you're serious, I doubt she'll turn you away. Besides I made her promise she wouldn't cut the date short. You're the nicest guy I know, she'd be stupid to not appreciate you."

"We can only hope..." Chouji shook his head, knowing that Ino, while a great girl, was superficial when it came to who she wanted as her boyfriend.

Shikamaru nodded, giving his friend a smile. "So you'll do it?"

"I don't have much of a choice, do I?" Chouji looked at his friend, not very hopeful. "Not unless I want you to find someone else to go with her."

"I wouldn't do that," Shikamaru said. "I think you should try and do this, but if you really don't want to, I'll tell her... I don't know, that the guy died on a mission or something." He shrugged, smirking softly. Obviously he'd come up with a better lie if Chouji didn't want to.

Chouji shook his head, a faint blush in his cheeks. "No... I'll do it, but if it goes wrong I'm blaming you!"

Shikamaru chuckled, knowing very well that if something did go wrong in their friendship it would be his fault.

"I know, but nothing will go wrong," he said before his smirk widened. "So have any ideas on what you want to do on the date?"

"...I don't know." Chouji blushed a little more; after all, he hadn't been on a date before, so he guessed anything would do.

"Well, you'll have to do something special," Shikamaru said. He didn't know much about dates either, but he did know that Ino would be expecting something amazing and special, especially since she was spoiled by her family anyway.

"...fancy restaurant?" Chouji asked, making a note to eat before going there. He doubted his wallet could handle eating the amount of food he usually did eat at a fancy restaurant.

Shikamaru nodded after a while. "Yeah, but plan something else too. You know how she is with her diets," he said, scowling. He really didn't see the purpose of dieting; it was the stupidest thing anyone could do.

"... isn't there supposed to be a festival in a week?" Chouji frowned a little. Normally he didn't pay attention to stuff like that, but he seemed to remember his father mentioning it.

Shikamaru blinked, wondering how he had forgotten that. Probably had to do with that he avoided festivals and their crowds like the plague.

"Yeah, there is," he said, grinning. "That's a good idea."

Grinning, Chouji picked up his chopsticks, continuing his meal.

"What about you and Neji? Isn't it time you two go on a real date?"

Shikamaru sighed, blushing a little. "It's troublesome, but yeah, probably..."

Chuckling at his friend's choice of words, Chouji grinned. "You should go to the festival too. No one would find out you aren't just friends going together."

Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah, I know," he said then he reached out and stole a bit of food from his friend before that 'last bite' would be the only thing left.

"So, have you guys gone any further than kissing?" Chouji grinned, not able to help the fact that he was a bit curious about his friend's relationship, and last time he had checked, they hadn't done anything more than a bit innocent kissing.

Shikamaru looked at Chouji in surprise and shook his head. "N-no, not really. He... complained earlier that I wasn't touching him enough, so we, well, cuddled for a while. Which is when Ino showed up."

Chuckling again, Chouji shook his head a little.

"What do you think? Do you want to do more than kiss?"

Shikamaru flushed, glancing away. "...Maybe. I don't know," he said, sighing. "I wouldn't mind it."

"Then perhaps you should try it." Chouji shrugged. "If Neji complained you weren't touching him enough, I don't think he'll freak out. Worst case, he'll say he wants to wait with whatever you want to do a little longer."

He grumbled inaudibly for a second but just nodded. "Yeah, I know," he said finally.

Chouji did find it a little strange to talk Shikamaru into doing... _stuff_ with his boyfriend, but he supposed that as long as they didn't go into details, it was all fine.

"So," the Nara started, smirking again, "which of your festival outfits will you wear?"

Flushing slightly as he didn't like dressing up, Chouji shrugged. "A black kimono and a pair of simple hakama, I suppose..." he muttered after a while

Shikamaru inwardly winced and smacked himself for what he was about to say. It would sound so gay and _girly_.

"You need something better than that if you want to impress Ino, Chouji. It's too plain."

"Then what?" Chouji raised an eyebrow at his friend. Since when did Shikamaru think about things like that. "That's traditional wear."

Shikamaru nodded, letting out a sigh. "Yeah, but you should at least wear something with a pattern. And I remember her saying once that you'd look good in blues," he said, muttering the last part.

"What?" Chouji's head snapped up, blush covering his cheeks.

"It was a couple months back," he said, shrugging. "When she was on that make-over kick after she cut her hair in the preliminaries. Said you were a 'winter' and would look good in blue."

Still blushing, Chouji just nodded, almost making a good imitation of Hinata as he fidgeted a bit.

Shikamaru smirked, amused by how bashful Chouji was being. "So do you have a kimono or yukata you could use?"

"I... I guess I have a blue one somewhere..." he murmured, still blushing.

He raised an eyebrow, slightly skeptical since he hadn't seen his friend wear any formal wear for a few years now.

"One that you're sure fits?"

"...I don't know..." he blushed further.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Well go look and try one on. If it doesn't fit, we'll go shopping." He was fairly sure he needed a new one anyway, if he was going to go with Neji. The one he owned he knew was ragged and probably had a few moth-holes by now.

Nodding, Chouji finished his dinner quickly before he walked up to his room, starting to rummage through his closet in search for the blue kimono he knew he had.

Shikamaru waited downstairs, knowing his friend preferred to change behind closed doors even if he knew Shikamaru didn't care what he looked like.

After a while, Chouji came back down, still wearing his usual clothes. "It was too small," he sighed.

Shikamaru nodded, not surprised, and stood up. "Want to go get one fitted then?"

Chouji nodded, knowing it had to be done sooner or later, and it wasn't wise to wait too long before the festival. Two or three days before it, no one would probably have the time, having gotten too many orders.

"You have your money then?" he asked, wanting to get out and get it done with as quickly as possible.

Nodding again, Chouji grabbed a bag of chips, walking outside with his best friend.

After a few minutes, they walked into a tailors, looking around at the different kimonos on display while waiting for a worker to, well, work.

"Can I help you?" A male tailor approached them, smiling in that way people did when dealing with customers.

Shikamaru glanced over at him and nodded. "Yeah, we both need a kimono for the festival next week."

"Ah, I see" he bowed a little. "Do you see any fabrics you like? We have some very nice ones..." he said, beginning to talk about the different kinds of fabrics they had.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, blocking out the man's voice after a while. "This is fine for me," he interrupted, gently fingering a green fabric with bamboo shoots patterned on it.

"Very well," the man bowed again before clapping his hands. Soon another man came over to them, and told Shikamaru to follow him to get the measurements.

Chouji took a while longer to decide, but ended up with a midnight blue fabric with white star-pattern.

Shikamaru followed the other back, soon inwardly complaining about this whole process. It was really too troublesome. It wasn't until almost an hour later that he was let go with instructions to come back in three days to pick it up.

Done around the same time, Chouji looked a little sick. He most definitely didn't like the measuring process, but he had done as asked, knowing it would be over sooner that way.

Shikamaru smiled at his friend before slinging an arm around his shoulder. "Come on, I'll treat you to some barbecue."

"Really?" Chouji seemed to perk up a little at the thought, some colour returning to his face. He was lucky to have a friend that knew how to cheer him up, and willing to do it.

Shikamaru nodded, smile widening a little as he steered Chouji out of the tailors. "Yeah, just try not to eat up all my money, alright?" he asked, half joking.

"I'll try," Chouji grinned back, letting himself be lead towards the barbecue by him.


	14. Chapter 14

About a week later, Chouji was sitting at one of the finer restaurants in the village, his hands shaking slightly as he waited for his date, knowing that she had no idea it was him she was going to a date with. He was wearing a black hakama and his new kimono, a slightly lighter haori over it all.

Ino walked into the place, hair up in a braided bun and a light purple kimono, thoroughwort patterns littering the bottom of it as well as the sleeves. She looked around curiously, remembering Shikamaru telling her that she would know who it was when she saw them.

Her eyes widened when she caught sight of her own friend, pouting. Shikamaru had pranked her again! Oh, he would so get it...

Catching sight of his love-interest and close friend, Chouji blushed slightly before looking away. He felt a little guilty for letting Shikamaru set them up on this date when it was obvious that Ino didn't like him like that.

Ino let out a sigh through her nose and headed over to him. She had promised Shika she'd spend the day with the guy. At least she knew they wouldn't fight. She put a smile on and sat down gracefully at the table.

"Hey, Chouji."

"H-hi..." Chouji swallowed a little, letting out a nervous chuckle. "Ah... s-sorry about this..." he looked away, feeling very awkward.

She gave him a weird look but just waved it off. "It's fine. I should've known he'd pull something like this anyway," she said, huffing.

"'Pull something like this'...?" Chouji asked, slightly confused at the way she phrased it, as if she thought Shikamaru had pulled a prank on them or something.

Ino rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well, yeah. He said he'd get me a date and then goes and does this," she said, waving a hand slightly before tucking it back into the crook of her arm.

"W-well, uh... you see..." Chouji stuttered, feeling his face go red as he attempted to explain that it wasn't a joke. That it actually was a date, but he found himself unable to say so.

Ino raised an eyebrow, staring at her friend. Okay, something was going on here.

"What is it, Chouji?"

"…N-nothing," he murmured, not having the guts to admit it to her. "Are you ready to o-order?" He asked, trying to cover up his embarrassment.

Ino frowned. She didn't like being left out of the loop! But then she just nodded, letting her arms hang back by her sides and rest in her lap.

Handing her a menu, Chouji hid a little behind his own, trying to will the blush in his cheeks away.

She took the menu, looking through the salad section, a little surprised at how expensive even those were. Definitely not something that could be in their everyday budget.

"...Isn't this place a bit... much?" she asked.

"Uh... no... it's fine," Chouji replied, grimacing a little behind his own menu, trying to find an excuse. "It is a festival, you know."

Ino eyed him from behind the menu again before nodding and dropping it. It's not like she would order much anyway.

When a waitress came over to them, Chouji ordered only about a tenth of what he usually would.

Ino ordered a small salad, the dressing on the side, a little surprised that Chouji ordered that little. Sure it was expensive, but if it had been planned, shouldn't he have a lot of money for it?

"So… what do you want to do when we're done here?" Chouji asked after a while, trying to start a conversation; normally Ino would just chatter on and on, not leaving many awkward silences. "At the festival, I mean."

"Hm." Ino tapped her chin in thought. "Well, we definitely need to stay for the fireworks later," she started. "Oh, I want to try catching a goldfish." It was a tradition for her at every festival, even if she had only ever gotten one once, and that had been when her father had been with her and steadied her hands.

Nodding, Chouji smiled a little, agreeing with her. "It sounds fun," he replied with a grin, glad that it seemed that the awkwardness was over.

Ino smiled, giving a nod of her own. "Mnhm. We should go watch one of the kabuki dances too," she suggested.

Nodding, Chouji made an agreeing sound, watching her as she was thinking about things they could do; finding that thoughtful look on her face really cute.

Ino continued chatting, talking about what sort of things she used to do when her whole family used to go to the festival. She didn't notice that Chouji was just staring at her, almost forgetting that Shikamaru had set this up as a prank.

Listening to her, Chouji was getting this dreamy, far-away look in his eyes as he watched the girl talk, noticing that she was looking very cute tonight. She had probably expected someone completely different from him, maybe even the Uchiha.

"--ji? Chouji!" She pouted, her eyes narrowing a little and she reached over, waving a hand in front of his face. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Of-- of course I am," flustering, Chouji looked down at the table, trying to hide his blush. Luckily for him, the waitress came back with their orders, telling them pleasantly that she hoped they would enjoy themselves before she disappeared again.

Ino huffed slightly but just smiled at the waitress before saying, "Itadakimasu," then starting on her food.

"Itadakimasu!" Looking down at the food, Chouji started digging in, savoring the delicious taste of the food. There was no doubt the prices matched the quality.

About half an hour later they were done and the waitress had brought the check over.

Taking a look at the check, Chouji wanted to grimace, but instead he paid without batting an eyelash, even going as far as give her a tip. "So... going fishing?" He asked, starting to get up from the table.

Ino blinked, startled, and slipped her money pouch back into her sleeve, having expected to pay for herself. She smiled and gave a nod, standing up, straightening her kimono out.

Smiling back at her, Chouji was thinking of offering her his arm before walking, but decided not to. Not when she clearly didn't see him as more than a friend. Starting to walk, he tried not to be self-conscious of what he was wearing.

Ino studied him while they walked, quiet for once. He didn't look too bad when he tried. Not anything close to Sasuke, still, of course, but he cleaned up well.

She let another smile come to her lips and said, "See? I told you that you'd look good in blue."

"Eh?" Startled, Chouji's cheeks pinked before he looked away from her again. "R-really? You think so?" he asked, feeling a little better. "You... you look pretty--" no, beautiful "--like always." No matter the colour.

Ino giggled, smile brightening. "Come on," she said, grabbing his hand and pulling. "Let's go catch those fish!"

Just nodding, Chouji let himself be pulled along, enjoying the way the blonde girl's hand fit into his.

Ino stopped in front of the stand, letting go of Chouji's hand and smiling as she observed a few of the younger kids try to get a fish on the small paddle.

"Here," Chouji bought paddles, smiling good-naturedly at her. "Give it a go."

Ino grinned. "Thanks," she said, carefully rolling up her long sleeves and knelt on the ground with a paddle in her hands. She slipped it into the water, tongue sticking out slightly in concentration.

Amused at how cute she looked, Chouji just watched her, not really caring if she managed to catch a fish or not.

Ino pouted, sulking a little, as the fish broke through the thin paper of the paddle and back into the water.

Smiling to himself and repressing a chuckle, Chouji just gave her another paddle.

She looked up when another paddle was offered, pout shifting into a smile again. Ino took the paddle and waited for the fish to calm a little before trying to catch one again, the same thing happening in the end.

Chuckling at the girl, Chouji just handed her the rest of the paddles, figuring she would need them all.

Ino glared up at him, huffing, but accepted them anyway. She kept trying, almost catching the same fish twice but it kept breaking through. Letting out an annoyed screech (but subdued enough that only the two closest vendors could hear it through the festival's noise), Ino threw down the last two paddles and stood up.

"I give up!"

Lips twitching slightly, though he didn't dare really smile for fear of Ino's wrath, Chouji picked up the two paddles.

"I'll give it a go," he said with a smile, rolling up his sleeves.

"Hn." Ino watched him, sulking and crossing her arms over her chest.

A minute later, Chouji was grinning as he received a goldfish in a bag of water. "Here," he smiled, handing it to Ino.

Ino was ready to complain to him about how come _she_ couldn't get a fish that easily and that _he_ could and it just wasn't _fair_ but stopped before she started, blinking confused at him.

She took the bag hesitantly. "Oh... Um, thank you. Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." Chouji smiled at her, pulling down his sleeves again. "Now where to?" he asked.

Ino smiled brightly and threw her arms around Chouji in a hug, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. She didn't think anything about it seeing as they used to do that before the academy and then just pulled away, tugging him in a random direction.

Blushing darkly and tensing at the girl's actions, Chouji let himself be pulled along like a marionette, gazing at the girl with a dazed look in his eyes.

Ino stopped mid-step, eyes narrowing as she spotted _her_ Sasuke getting his ear chatted off by Billboard Brow; she would _not_ have that!

Leaving Chouji, she stormed over and put on a sickeningly sweet smile, latching onto Sasuke's other arm.

"Sasuke-ku~n," she cooed, batting her eyelashes. "Let's ditch Billboard Brow and have a good time!"

Chouji watched the blonde girl run off to latch onto the raven-haired boy, eyebrows furrowing sadly for a moment. With a sigh he went to find himself some snacks, knowing he could never compete with the Uchiha for Ino's attention.

Less than ten minutes later, Ino watched Sakura run off in hopes of finding the Uchiha again with angry tears welling up. She clenched her hands into fists, pausing as she realized she still had the fish with her. She bit her lip and slumped down against a wall, wrapping her arms around her knees and resting her forehead on them, letting a tear roll down her hidden cheek.

Returning with a few snacks on sticks, Chouji blinked as he saw Ino sitting on the ground in her kimono, obviously upset by something. Having expected to find her and Sakura still quarrelling, he sighed and scratched his head with his free hand. He knew he would regret this, but he couldn't just leave his date like that, even though she had technically ditched him first. Chouji felt at a loss what to say as he sat down next to her.

"Here," he murmured, handing her a dango, not knowing what else to do. He knew he felt better when eating something, but he had no clue if it was the same for her.

Ino glanced up, more tears welling up. She ignored the offered dumplings and half-clung to him, pressing her face into his shoulder. She shook slightly, biting her lip to hold back a sob.

Dropping the dango in surprise, Chouji looked down at the girl. He felt bad for her, hated the Uchiha for hurting her like that, hated himself for having fallen in love with her, and hated his conflicting emotions. Sighing softly, he reached up, petting her head, trying to comfort the distressed girl.

Ino squeezed her eyes shut, a sob breaking through despite how hard she tried to keep them back.

"I-I'll never be good enough f-for hi-im," she whispered, more tears spilling out and soaking Chouji's shoulder.

Wincing slightly at the familiar line, Chouji knew that Ino probably felt the same way with the Uchiha as he felt with her; he would never be good enough. Feeling his heart clench a little, slowly breaking, he took a deep, slightly shaky breath as he hugged her closer. He just couldn't be mad at her for this.

"No..." He shook his head, voice slightly thick with emotion. "You're too good for him."

Ino sniffed, shaking her head. "How can you say that?" she asked, voice wavering. "He's _perfect_ and I... I'm just _pathetic_. I'm weak and stupid and just... just..." She broke off with another sob.

Chouji closed his eyes and hugged her closer, trying to stop his own shivering, not wanting to break down in front of her.

"Because I know you," he replied after a while, his own voice wavering too. "If he can't see how special you are, he's either blind, or doesn't have a heart." Probably the latter, he thought to himself.

Ino took as much comfort as she could from his words and warmth, falling silent and just trying to compose herself. She didn't like feeling weak and helpless like this. Eventually her trembling stopped and she let out a shaky breath, pulling back a little and wiping at her eyes.

"Thank you, Chouji," she whispered.

"You're welcome," he murmured, giving her a pitying, sad, and slightly bitter look.

She didn't notice, still trying to pull herself together. Another minute and she pulled herself from Chouji's embrace, standing up. She plastered on a bright smile before gasping as she spotted the dango ruined on the ground.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Chouji!" she said, feeling bad that she had wasted more of his money, albeit indirectly. "I'll buy you a new one, okay?"

"No... it's okay." Chouji shook his head, slowly standing up and brushing dust from his hakama. "It was my fault. Don't worry about it." At the moment, he didn’t have his usual want for food, his appetite lost.

Ino sighed, looking a little guilty. "Are you sure? I don't mind..."

"I'm sure. It's fine." Chouji almost interrupted her, his voice slightly crosser than usual, but not much. He just didn't feel like he had the energy to keep it all in, but at the same time he couldn't lash out at the girl; she had no idea what she made him feel.

Ino just nodded meekly, feeling like something was wrong but not sure what. She knew that her two friends didn't approve of her infatuation with Sasuke, but neither had ever reacted like this before.

"...Did you want to see what performances are going on?"

"Sure..." Chouji nodded slightly. Truth to be told, he didn't, but it would, hopefully, take his mind off things, reminding himself to pull himself together and keep the act up for his friend. He'd just feel worse if she discovered why he was feeling down.


	15. Chapter 15

Shikamaru twitched slightly as his kimono was tugged on by another little kid passing by. Damnit, he hated festivals!

"I wonder how their date is going," he muttered out loud with a sigh, repeating himself again.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Neji just huffed and looked away from his boyfriend. He could understand that he was worried for his friend, but this was getting ridiculous! He shouldn't have let the other persuade him to go on a real date with him, because he sure as hell wasn't enjoying himself with the way Shikamaru constantly worried and fussed about his best friend that wasn't even there.

Shikamaru let out another sigh and pushed his hair out of his face. He didn't know why he'd let Ino convince him to keep it down; it was such a hassle. He smirked as he got an idea and turned to look at his date. His smirk turned down a little when he saw how grumpy Neji was, but shook it off.

"Hey, if you want to snack on anything, buy it now. I want to show you something."

Raising an eyebrow elegantly, Neji looked questioningly at his date, mulling over it in his head.

"I'm not hungry," he said after a while, slightly more pleased now that Shikamaru was paying attention to him again. "Lead the way."

Shikamaru nodded and reached out, grabbing his hand and leading him through the crowd. Slowly it started to filter out as they got farther and farther away from the main streets and closer back towards the Nara house.

Wondering silently what they were doing there, Neji just followed him, a faint hint of pink in his cheeks from them holding hands in a crowd.

Shikamaru glanced back and pressed his finger to his lips, signaling him to keep quiet just in case. He crept around his own house and started leading him through the thick forest in the back.

Still puzzled, Neji just nodded and kept silent as he snuck around the house, wondering where they were headed as they walked through the thick forest, knowing that was probably where they kept the deer.

Eventually he stopped in a large clearing on the top of a hill and let go of Neji's hand. They could vaguely hear the sound of a babbling brook, further back in the woods.

"Look," he said, gesturing over the hill, some of the sparkling lights of the city in full swing able to be seen perfectly from there. "Still fun to look at, we'll be able to see the fireworks from here and, best of all, no crowds."

Eyes widening slightly at the sight Shikamaru showed him, Neji smiled a little, not letting go of his boyfriend's hand.

"I like it," he said softly, somehow not wanting to disturb the silence of the forest too much.

Shikamaru smiled slowly and curled his fingers, grasping Neji's hand again. "I'm glad," he said, happy to see the other boy smile. He leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

Kissing him back readily, Neji just tightened his hold on his hand a little, starting to get comfortable with having a boyfriend, finding it more and more pleasant as time passed by.

Shikamaru smiled into the kiss, taking a step closer and closing his eyes.

Eyes falling shut as well, Neji reached up, wrapping his arms lightly around the Nara's neck, pulling him slightly closer.

Shikamaru wrapped his arms around Neji's waist. Remembering his friend's advice, he hesitantly snuck his tongue out, tracing Neji's bottom lip.

Making a soft noise, Neji's lips parted without hesitation, his own tongue coming out to meet Shikamaru's.

A little surprised but falling into the deeper kiss, Shikamaru moved his tongue along Neji's and into his mouth, pressing closer.

Neji felt a little clumsy as they kissed like that, and his cheeks flushed, but he didn't complain in the least.

Shikamaru pulled back after a minute, needing to take in oxygen properly. He opened his eyes and licked his lips, finding more than a bit of saliva clinging to them.

Panting softly as they broke apart, Neji didn't open his eyes immediately, as if savouring the sensations he had felt during that kiss.

Shikamaru smirked lightly and gave a quick, soft kiss to his lips before pulling back completely.

Almost startling at that, Neji's eyes snapped opened, a blush staining his cheeks.

"Ah... thanks for showing me this place..." he murmured softly, turning to admire the view again, not quite knowing what else to say.

His smirk softened into a smile and he gave a small shrug, following his gaze. "It's nothing that special, but you're welcome."

"It's more special than the training-field," Neji pointed out, sitting down on the ground, content with watching the festival-lights.

Shikamaru gladly sat down beside him, reclining back on the grass. "I guess that's true; it's less public here."

"Are there deer around here?" Neji asked, a bit curious as he looked around, wondering if they might stumble into some on their way back in the darkness.

"Yeah," Shikamaru said with a nod. "They're around; just not used to you yet, so they'll take a while before they come out. Especially if there's lots of noise. The more they see you, though, the more they'll trust you and show themselves sooner."

Neji nodded, activating his byakugan silently, curious if there were any around right now, and true enough, there was a small herd not too far away from them. Deactivating it again, he lay back down.

Shikamaru smirked a little, amused at how much the other seemed to want to see some deer.

"What's with that smirk?" Neji asked, turning his head to look at his boyfriend, an eyebrow raised.

"Nothing," he said with a chuckle. "You're just cute." He leaned over and pecked the tip of his nose.

Eyes widening a little, Neji flushed. "H-hey... I'm not cute!" He frowned a little.

Shikamaru chuckled, smirk widening. "Of _course_ you're not, Neji," he said, teasing.

"No one's described me as cute before!" He gave his boyfriend a soft glare.

He quirked an eyebrow. "Maybe not to your face, they haven't," he said. "But I've heard it quite a bit. Besides..." He paused, scooting closer and draping an arm over his waist. "I'm your boyfriend, I can say it; I have privileges."

"Oh really now?" Neji raised an eyebrow amused. Okay, so it was a bit creepy that people went around and called him cute, but at the moment that was not important.

"Does that mean I can call you cute in return?" He teased back.

Shikamaru snorted, giving a half shrug. "If you really think I am, go right ahead," he said, not thinking he, himself, was much attractive in any way.

"Hmm..." Neji thought about it for a while, before smirking. "Cute is, perhaps, not the right word," he muttered to himself. "I'd rather say you're... sweet and handsome." Blushing, he looked away from his boyfriend, not used to receive or give any complements.

Shikamaru's eyes widened a little and he blushed, smiling softly. He pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek before settling against him, content.

Just then a thin whistling noise was heard, followed by a small explosion, indicating that the fireworks had begun, all sort of colours exploding all over the sky.

Shikamaru turned his head at the noise, smile widening a little. Okay, so now he was glad that Chouji suggested he go too. Again, he wondered how his friends were doing but pushed that thought away, just wanting to lie here and enjoy this time.

"It's much better to watch it from here." Neji nodded, turning his head as well, just watching the fireworks.

Shikamaru chuckled and nodded. "Definitely. No kids running around and trying to trip you."

Chuckling a bit, Neji agreed, but the best part, he decided, was that no one was staring at them as if trying to figure out if they were just friends or something more. Not that he would voice that out loud of course.

Comfortable silence settled over them and eventually Shikamaru let his eyes drift closed, happy to just listen to the sounds of the fireworks.

Looking over at his boyfriend, Neji shook his head in amusement. He was still lazy like usual. Leaning over, he gave him a soft peck on the cheek, before laying back again.

Shikamaru smiled before turning onto his side and shifting closer, head tucking in and resting on the other's shoulder.

Holding around him lightly, Neji lightly let his hands slide through the Nara's hair, liking that he had let it down for once.

Shikamaru made a contented noise in the back of his throat, knowing that he'd be falling asleep in a few minutes if Neji kept that up.

"...I like your hair," Neji said after a while, continuing to run his fingers through it. It was slightly coarser than his, more manly in fabric he supposed.

Shikamaru just mumbled something inaudible in response, most likely having nothing to do with what Neji had just said.

Chuckling, Neji just let him lay there like that, not minding if he fell asleep on him. Continuing touching Shikamaru's hair, Neji blushed when he remembered when Shikamaru had done that to him. It had been embarrassing, sure, but at the same time... it had felt good.

Not more than five minutes later, Shikamaru was asleep, unconsciously snuggling closer as his body heat naturally dropped.

Sighing, Neji knew he had to wake the other boy up, he could easily get sick like this.

"Shikamaru?" He asked, shaking him lightly.

"Mmngh." Shikamaru grumbled, shutting his eyes tighter and burying his head deeper into Neji, refusing to wake up.

"Come on... you can get sick like this," Neji sighed, continuing to shake him gently.

Shikamaru whined low in his throat, obviously awake now but trying not to be.

"Either you get up now and we walk home, or I'm leaving you here for the predators to get you," Neji huffed, seeing as Shikamaru was awake, but refusing to get up.

Shikamaru let out a small snort, knowing the only predators in the Nara forest were the birds that could fly from place to place. But he looked up, trying to give the best helpless look he could muster.

"Carry me then?"

"You..." Neji blushed, glaring at him, before sighing, knowing it was no use. "Fine, princess," he rolled his eyes.

Shikamaru just smirked in triumph, letting the name roll off him, unfazed.

Leaning down, Neji picked him up, throwing him over his shoulder before he started walking, hoping he remembered the direction correctly. What he didn't pay attention to was how Shikamaru's head was right above his ass.

Shikamaru squawked in protest before going silent and blinking. He smirked slowly, staring at his ass as he moved. What a lovely sight.

Not aware of the staring, Neji finally found the trail they had been following when they came there. Following it, it didn't take long before they were at Shikamaru's house.

Shikamaru inwardly sulked as he knew Neji would now put him down since they were out of the forest.

Putting Shikamaru down, Neji was quite sure his parents would not like seeing their son carried like that. "Satisfied?" He asked with a smirk.

Shikamaru sighed and gave a nod, a slight pout going unnoticed by himself.

"I'll... see you tomorrow, then," Neji was amused at the way Shikamaru pouted a little.

Shikamaru nodded again, smiling now. "Yeah, usual plac-- oh, uh, I kinda wanted to see how... it went..." he said.

"I see," Neji chuckled softly, smirking. "So you'll be a bit late?"

"Yeah, probably not until after your second break," he said. "You don't mind, right?"

Neji shook his head, kissing Shikamaru's nose with a blush. "I don't mind," he replied, not mentioning that he would probably be able to concentrate better when he wouldn't be there.

Shikamaru smiled and pressed a quick kiss to his mouth. "Thanks," he said, then joked, "Maybe you won't trip over yourself."

Huffing, Neji gave him a light hit on the head, smiling despite that. "I'm not tripping all over myself!" He crossed his arms.

Shikamaru chuckled, smirking lightly. "Okay, have it your way."

"Hn," smirking back, Neji kissed him shortly on the lips again. "See you tomorrow." Turning and walking towards his own apartment, Neji smiled slightly to himself; it had been a good evening.

Shikamaru smiled as he watched him walk away. Turning, he slipped into his house, for once glad that he had gone to a festival.


End file.
